Embracing the Darkness
by Acyrotin
Summary: Summary: Things work out differently for the hero in the cavern, ending up a 'prisoner' in the darkness. Though, is he really a prisoner, or is he actually a guest? Fable 3 Evil!Prince/The Crawler -Being Revamped-
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Things work out differently for the hero when wandering through the dark caverns with Walter and his faithful dog in tow, ending up a 'prisoner' in the darkness. Though, is he really a prisoner, or is he actually a guest? [Fable 3 Evil!Prince/The Crawler]

Notes: I've named my hero Adrian, and he is extremely evil, though charming at the same time. I've made his eyes green. XP His clothing consists of the Harlequin make-up, purple long thick hair, and purple and yellow Highwayman Men's clothes -minus the hat/mask thing-. His dog's name is Mephisto. This chapter will pretty much follow what happens in the game, with remarks from the prince and slight tweaks added here and there, and a slightly different beginning. The end, however, will be different and the next chapter completely different from the game. Future chapters will probably be much shorter than this one, but there's alot to cover in this one.

Warnings: I'll say it now, this is a product of my twisted little mind. This is a yaoi/M/M/Slash story involving the Prince and the Crawler. Or, it will eventually lead to such a pairing. That means that there will definitely be mature stuff. Rated M for Violence and Gore, eventual lemons, and foul language.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for, I guess, Adrian. -shrug-

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Neither of them had expected to be in the position they were in now.

Adrian had been following Walter deeper and deeper into the lightless void for awhile now, only half-listening to the older man's rambling, trying to ignore the increasing sense of paranoia and panic that was voiced in each word. The only sounds he made were the reverberating click and shuffle of boots, or an annoyed grunt at his traveling companion as he jumped at the slightest clatter of rocks falling or the high-pitched squeaks of bats as they flew past them. They walked with a limited range of sight, trapped in a small sphere of illumination from the torch the old soldier carried.

The black and white collie, Mephisto, padded along beside the prince, nearly as jumpy as the human companion. Fur would stand on end, and lips would curl back to bare off-white fangs in a menacing snarl at the various noises that echoed through the cavern, which slowly seemed to be closing in with each step they took into the darkness. "You're both acting too jumpy." Adrian finally broke his silent vigil, glancing back towards the grey-haired figure holding their only source of illumination. "There is a difference between being prepared for the unknown, and just flat-out panicking."

"I...I'm sorry Adrian. You're right...but I've never done very well in caves." A yellow glove reached out, gripping his shoulder reassuringly. "I know Walter. 'Don't let fear control you...it's one of the greatest mistakes a soldier can make', remember? You taught me that."

He was rewarded with a brief grin, though it still had clear evidence of unease. "That I did." It seemed to boost his morale though, by the way the large body seemed to settle, straightening so his head was held up and looked much more tougher and ready to face the dangers that looked within. They stopped as they came to a 'room', filled with more broken architecture, a large gap separating them from going any farther. "Well, looks like we won't be going any farther this way." Walter spoke, lifting the torch as he looked on. "Looks like a bridge. Is that the mechanism to raise it on the other side?" Adrian looked on in the direction the other gazed in, squinting luminescent green eyes and catching sight of the lever in question. "Isn't that handy. One of us will have to get across to use it. There must be some other way to get there."

Painted lips gave a faint scowl, hidden as he turned his head to examine his surroundings. 'One of us' was usually always the beat-around-the-bush saying that meant 'him'. As the older man turned, he had the courtesy to step around the skeleton stretched out behind him, walking to look at one of the ledges with the collie trotting at his side. Adrian took up the rear, passing by the many mounds of wax he figured had to be candles at one point. The soldier leaned slightly, examining the short drop and following the path of sand and rubble up to the lever. "Here we go. You should be able to the other side from here." The prince restrained himself from the growl that tried to escape him. He knew it. He knew the heavy man would rather sit and wait for the bridge to be activated so he could cross. Lord knows what would happen if he -moved-. He might pop a button-

Adrian sighed, stepping back a few strides and running forward, kicking off of the ground and leaning forward, slender frame rotating in a flip in the air, curling tightly so he roller harmlessly upon contact with the ground. He sprang up to his feet, and trotted up the slope of rubble and stairs. As he moved closer to the lever, he could hear Walter calling out as he returned to the ledge to await the bridge. "Okay, be careful now. That thing's probably pretty stiff, and we don't want to make any more noise than we have to." Adrian just waved a hand to acknowledge him, and came to a halt as he finally reached the object. Gloved fingers wrapped around the handle, and he leaned back, tugging on it. It refused to budge the first two tries, and finally with a metallic groan it moved, and he pressed it to the floor. A low rumble quaked through the cavern, dislodging rocks from the ceiling, which crashed upon the floor below. The bridge reached out, locking into the other ledge and joining the way, and only then did everything silence. "Yes...and quiet as stealthy mice, the adventurers forged on ahead." Walter commented, walking across and taking the lead again. The dog barked quietly, returning to its master's side, nuzzling a hand as it patted his head. "Good boy." Adrian said, putting the dog at ease...

For a moment. A hissing sound came from the darkness, and the soldier stopped in mid-step, looking at the prince worriedly. "I know I have a tendency to be slightly paranoid, but did that sound like something friendly to you?" He was met with a quiet shrug, and a tilt of the head that silently stated 'Probably not'. After so many encounters in caves, sewers, and other nasty places, Adrian would've been more surprised if something evil/obnoxious/potentially deadly wasn't in the area. He jogged ahead, staying upon the edge of light given off by the crackling flame, moving up to a doorway with a force-field similar to the one they encountered coming in here. "Now, where have we seen that before?" The older man commented, stepping forward. "Stand back. Walter the scholar will take care of this. Hmm...with an increasing sense of trepidation, admittedly." Hands were held up defensively, and the prince was more than happy to take a few steps back and watch what happened from a safe distance. With his free hand, he pulled out the journal they grabbed earlier, and cleared his throat, beginning to read. "Luminous spirits of the sands, inhale the restless gloaming." A burst of purple light leapt from the book, and the force-field dissolved. With that, the hero stepped past Walter and into the newly opened hallway. "There you go, what can I say? I have a knack for gibberish."

"Yes, well...I don't think you should quit your day job." As soon as Walter stepped through, the magical blockade glowed in the darkness once more.

"Um. Do you ever get the feeling somebody's playing games with us?"

"All the time." Adrian sighed at the sight, making sure Mephisto was on their side. The dog barked, sniffing in the only direction they were able to continue on.

"Let's just be thankful and get through this place as quickly as we can." Walter began walking again, and Adrian sighed. He couldn't understand why the other was so freaked out by the darkness and the cave itself. He took great comfort in the void, when it was familiar and not teeming with monsters or vicious entities looking to rip you apart. He winced as he stepped upon another skeleton, hearing the brittle, possibly ancient bones crack and crunch, dissolving into dust underneath his boot. As they came to the center of a room, a low voice belonging to neither human spoke from the unnatural darkness surrounding them, and immediately Adrian's hand pulled out his pistol, a Reaper Industries perforator, cocking it and ready to fire at whatever came at them. "The light you bring will die. The light inside you will die. All that you are will die." Walter twisted to look at the inky blackness which was on every side of them, closing them in. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

A noise was heard, and in the darkness, what seemed like hundreds of crimson, glowing eyes lit up. "Oh, this isn't good." The creature chuckled, hissing. "The children are here to play." Semi-transparent beings of black lunged out of the darkness, ready to kill them. Small black wings fluttered upon their backs as they slashed their shadowy weapons at the humans. "What are they?" The sound of bullets whizzing through the air were heard as the purple haired man pulled the trigger again and again, stepping or rolling out of the way of his attackers. Walter was beating them off with swings of the torch, and the dog was biting at their legs and dragging the caught limbs out from under them, proceeding to make quick work of them with his teeth.

"The tissue tears. The tears burn. The burns blossom like dirty flowers on their skin." The frightening voice spoke, though was mostly ignored by the odd-colored hero, who was unleashing a fury of ice and electricity, and a rain of bullets to thin out what seemed to be an unending supply of shadow-beings. "Bring me their hearts. Bring me their stomachs. Bring me their bile." That thing never shut up, did it? "Can you hear that sweet music playing in your veins? That's our heartbeat. The children put it there out of love. Do you know how to love? It's the same as dying."

"For the love of whatever stupid deity people are praying to now, shut the fuck up!" The words tumbled from the man's mouth as he shot the last few of the shadow creatures, watching as they dissipated.

"You're tainted. The stain will never wash out. The sun will never shine upon you again. Tainted broken little toys."

Walter was moving again, going forward at a hurried pace. "It's alright. We're alright. We...we just have to keep going, that's all. We're all all alright." He was shaken, and as Adrian twirled his pistol and tucked it back into its spot upon his belt, he could say he hadn't been expecting that. He spared a look down to see his faithful pet, whimpering and tail curled between his legs as he slunk beside them. "More of those things!" Walter cried as red dots appeared in the shadows ahead, though small black shapes whizzed past them, the older man swinging his torch as they passed overhead. "Walter, it's just bats!" Adrian said, stopping his companion in mid-swing. The last of the winged mammals fluttered away, and the man spoke quietly to himself. "Come on, Walter. Just hold it together." He managed to slow to a walk, though it was a strained, quick-paced one. They passed by frightening metal sculptures, of strange bird-like things or winged reaper humanoids. A wave of small beetles scuttled past underfoot, away from the light and pairs of boots. "Damn this book and whoever wrote it. The bastards. Why didn't they tell us what was down here?" The soldier began to rant. "'Darkness Incarnate'. Like we're supposed to know what that means." He continued walking, and Adrian had to quicken his own pace to keep up with him. "It won't stop. It won't stop until it kills us."

"That's typically normal of any monster we've encountered so far, Walter." His remark fell upon deaf ears. The other was too busy mumbling to himself to hear anything he had to say, and an irritated sigh aimed upwards blew a strand of purple curled hair out from his eyes. "Talking to myself. Well, at least I'm not the only one doing it."

A cool gust of air seemed to bite through the layers of his clothes, chilling his skin. "Wait, I think we must be close to an exit. There's a cold breeze. Can you feel it?" Walter asked, and began to run towards what he hoped was salvation from the seemingly unending darkness, and the hero and his dog hurried to keep with him. He slowed part way along the next platform, looking around. Another hissing sound was voiced in the area around them they couldn't see into. "There's that sound again. It's almost like..." And a sudden blow of air extinguished their only source of light. Adrian kept calm, however Walter...well...he panicked. "No! Not the light. Not the bloody light." It was complete black, not even an ounce of light to be seen, except for Adrian's eyes. They glowed unnaturally, like neon in a dark night. He stepped towards the small sparks as Walter desperately tried to relight their torch. "Come on, work, dammit. Those things are all around us! Come on, come on, come on!" Finally, the torch seemed to spark to life again, and the soldier picked it up and looked wearily around, turning only to come face to face with what the prince could only describe as what the twisted and strange stalagmites and stalactites must look like when they were animated and given life. A gasp left the grey-haired figure, before the beast opened its huge, toothy mouth and roared. Walter covered his eyes, frantically swinging the torch and glancing to see if he hit, only to find nothing where the monster had once been. "Balls."

He didn't stick around to keep searching, turning only to make sure Mephisto and Adrian were still in his company before he started hurriedly moving through the path. "No, no, no, no, no...No, no, we have to get out of here. You hear me? You hear me? We have to get out of here!"

"Walter, get some grip on your nerves, you're raving like a lunatic!" Again, he might as well have been talking to a brick wall, since he received no reply from the frightened old fighter in front of him.

"As long as we have fire, we'll be all right. We'll have to keep walking and we'll get out of here and we'll be all right." He was watching as Walter was unraveling right before him, seeming to slowly be falling into madness from the situation.

"We are coming. We will devour your kingdom."

"It's here!" Like a startled deer, he went bounding off into the darkness, blindly and without any sense of direction to get out. He just needed to run away...

"There will be no bargains. There will be darkness. The children command it." Everyone came to a screeching halt at the spasming, twitching cave creature became just barely visible at the edge of their light, giving a loud growl and fading like a spectre into the shadows, where countless red eyes shone once again. They came pouring out, swarming the hero and his comrades like vicious, angry wasps. The monster was speaking, repeating what it had said moments before, though it spat it more threateningly and with more energy and anger to fuel it.

"They're everywhere!" Adrian turned quickly, a bullet slicing through the head of one of the shadows that crept too closely to the other. Mephisto could be heard, barking menacingly as he charged at a small group of them, knocking them down and ripping at them with claws or teeth. "More shadows, get ready!" Walter said as another wave of them swept over them.

The unholy being bellowed out a roar, screaming. "Stop glowing!" The shadow people were thinned out, and again the monster lurked at the edge of their light. "Did the blind seer not tell you about us? Did she not warn you?" And it laughed. It was a blood-chilling laugh. Walter gripped at the sides of his head and bent over, desperately trying to block him out. He lifted his head, eyes narrowed as he reeled back the arm holding the torch, and snapped it forward, launching the torch into the air and hitting the creature quite accurately. Purple-red plumes of fire erupted into the shadows, the scuttle of the being heard as it collapsed on the floor and twisted and flailed to cease the fire, making the most horrible screeches and hisses. With one last puff of flame, it curled up like a dead bug, and vanished from sight again.

It left them in darkness, though there seemed to be either light that allowed them to see, or perhaps their eyes had grown accustomed to the low-light.."It's gone. The bastard's dead and gone. And we're getting out of here." Walter was moving again, and Adrian just sighed as he followed. It was tiring, to be on edge for this long, to have to scurry like mice through a labyrinth in the hopes of finding cheese at the end, while trying to avoid the cat that lurked over their maze at the same time. They passed by a portal, the other not even choosing to acknowledge it. "I'm sorry. I lost my head back there, I know. I've never liked dark caves, but this...It's as if someone took my worst nightmare and made it real." Adrian gave a move of the head to show he acknowledged and understood. Still, it didn't make it any less annoying having a person breaking down as they ventured on. "But it's gone now. It's gone and we're going to be fine." That's what he said, but the hero didn't think this was going to end as nicely as the other hoped. It was the almost electrical feeling that danced upon his skin and made the hair on the back of his neck stand to attention that warned him all was not as it seemed. Besides, unless they could see sunshine, he didn't want to hear 'We're going to be fine'...because it meant they would most certainly -not- be fine. Adrian halted at a ledge leading into another large room, green eyes looking in Walter's direction. "Looks like the only way is down. Goody." He rubbed the back of his neck, and looked at the strangely-dressed man. "Alr, alright. Wait...just wait. I'll need a moment to prepare myself for this. But don't let me stop you." With a nod, the purple and yellow-clad figure leaped, landing on the sand below and tilting his head to look upwards. "You alright down there?" He heard the other ask.

"Yes. It isn't far down." Mephisto seemed to take this as his cue to drop down to join his master, giving a small bark as he nudged the yellow glove.

"Right, here I come then. Three...Two...One..." Another horrible noise was heard that caused Walter to turn around, and suddenly he was yanked out of view with nothing but a scream.

"Walter! Walter!" Adrian called, only to be met with the being's horrible laughter. He frowned, wrinkling his nose in annoyance as he turned, deciding to move quickly. The taunting voice of the unholy monster that lurked in the darkness was heard again.

"You let him die. You let us take him. But you're glad, are you not? You wished him pain. You wished him undone, unthreaded, unliving." With this, the crunch of the boots upon the sand slowed, and he lifted his head to mull over the words just briefly. Perhaps...perhaps he was right. Walter had been a good friend, but the pale man couldn't say he had never wished the man harm before. He was irksome, seeming to be of very little help at times. In here, that 'dead weight' feeling only seemed to intensify, and it was a miracle that the curly-haired person hadn't just decided he'd had enough, reached over and throttled the man until his last gasp of air left him while they were in this cave. Lord knows, he had wanted to.

He shook his head, running again, ending the lives of the strange shadow people as they came after him, not stopping to stick around for more of them. "A great wave of darkness will cover your land. They will come for your king. Who would sit upon the throne of Albion?" The being asked, and he just weaved past more of the shades, twisting on his heel and firing back into them, the split shot of the pistol spreading and catching several of them. He whirled around and pushed himself forward again. "But you too wish for the black void. You tire of your travels, your burdens, the cries of the helpless, the cries of your dead. You too will be swallowed." It was only partially right. The cries of the dead were of no burden to him, able to kill an innocent person with ease. Traveling was fun and interesting, and much better than sticking around and getting bored after so long...but it did have a point with the other points it had made. He was sick of helping the helpless. If they needed help, they could help themselves and leave him well enough alone. And he was sick of the burdens. The expectations that everyone had for him, which he knew he wouldn't live up to. They wanted him to be a just, loving, compassionate king...when, in truth, none of those things were in his nature, except 'loving'...though that term could be used loosely. He had a cold heart, and a morbid fascination with torturing and tormenting people...be it emotionally, mentally, or physically...that all of these 'people' who looked up to him seemed to ignore. His capacity for good was little to none, and the only reason he behaved that way was so they could help him get the crown, that he wasn't even sure if he wanted to begin with. After that, they were of no use to him, and would be tossed aside like broken toys.

He didn't slow as another drop came, just jumping down and leaping off of the smaller one below, landing harshly. A figure could be seen ahead, and he called out. "Walter!" The man was amassed in black, which oozed upwards, crawling over his clothes and body. Adrian closed the distance and looked at the man as he grunted and gurgled, trying to figure out if there was anything he could do to possibly remove him from it. He turned as he felt a presence behind him, and found the very same being who had been stalking them through the cavern, twitching as it stood before vanishing again. More of the 'children' came, closing in and ready to harm him. Again, they were met with the mouth of the pistol spitting an endless amount of lead at them. Those weren't the difficult ones.

"The children hide in their shells. They have bodies now. Bodies can tear you asunder." Those strange bird-like contraptions they saw earlier, lifeless and still, were back now in this room...except life was given to them, and suddenly they moved and shook off the dust that had settled on their metal frames, machinery whirring within them. "Shit." It was one word, but it summarized how Adrian felt at the moment. Looking at the mechanisms that strode closer to him, he spared a look to Walter, standing between him and the sets of shade-powered automatons, and he lifted his pistol...turning to instead point it at Walter. A cock of the gun, and a pull of the trigger...a wheezing grunt was heard, along with the faint rip of fabric and squish as it went through the flesh. "No, no, no!" The beast spat as the liquid shadow that coiled around Walter dissipated, and his body fell to the floor. Ragged, uneven breathing was heard, the man trying to grip his chest where the bullet entered. "Sorry, Walter." There was an iciness to the tone as the words left the prince, no remorse or guilt felt as he stepped away from the mechanisms, who had halted in surprise. One more bullet was fired, and the breathing stopped. Blood pooled onto the stone floors, as dark as any of the pools of shadow were.

Adrian could hear a pained yelp from the black and white collie behind him and only briefly saw a glimpse of the strange beast that shouted in some ancient language, most likely profanity from the sudden disruption of its plan. Then, the clang of metal that sent him stumbling forward, and a sharp pain bloomed in the back of his head...he felt his body hit the ground before the darkness finally swallowed him.


	2. Chapter 2

Blackened sockets with glimmering black orbs recessed within them stared out at the form splayed out upon the stone ahead. He had been unconscious for many hours now...he was alive, the rise and fall of the chest was as good an indication as any, but the dark minion that had knocked him out must've hit a tad too hard.

The hero's eyes were closed, his abnormally pale skin gleaming like ivory in the faint light that shimmered through cracks from the chamber's ceiling. The Children were fascinated by the many colors that adorned the human, even though their intensity was muted by the dim lighting. The fallen angel like figures loomed around the downed person, clawed fingers brushing over fabric or flicking metal, twirling through the violet locks or trying to smear the strange colored marks that seemed to stretch above and below the eyes with no avail. The skin had permanently lost its color long before he had stepped foot in this rocky death trap, and the marks seemed tattooed into place. As a hand slapped away the sets of digits messing with his face, the shades hissed in alarm and slight anger from the interruption of their curiosity, and were ready to act upon it...until -he- stepped in. The dull brown-grey beast materialized, stepping over the slumbering prince and letting out a low, rumbling roar, jaws snapping at the figures. It was a quick deterrent, the Children scampering away and ducking into the safety of the shadows. They were not without their complaints, by the soft, whispering voices that erupted from the void of black. Their murmurs were incomprehensible, echoing just like any noise that was created in their home...

And they silenced as soon as a small groan was heard, and the multi-faced head was cocked to look down at the being below. Long, spindly legs stepped over him, the spikes that substituted feet clicking lightly upon the stone as he returned to the edge of the darkness, waiting.

...

...

...

"Nn...oww..." The young male's voice grunted, eyes groggily opening to reveal those unnatural green eyes, squinting as they tried to blink away the blur that enveloped his sight. He winced as pain bloomed the back of his head as he attempted to lift it, followed by a consistent aching throb in his skull. "That...could've gone better." Hero or not, it hurt being popped upside the head. He sluggishly pushed himself upright, slowly moving his head to see his current surroundings. Well, he was alive, he knew that much. It looked like he must've still been in the cave, which meant-

"Yes, Hero. You're still with Us, and you're still surrounded by the Darkness." A hand reached for the handle of the pistol...only to find it wasn't there. His gaze quickly shot down to look at his belt, and a hand reached back, finding no sword resting against his back either. "We took your weapons." He even made sure to check his hands, hoping that maybe they had left out the spell gloves. Sadly, they seemed to remember those too, and he frowned.

"So are you going to kill me now? If so, tell your 'Children' to hit harder than a dying old woman, alright? Otherwise it's going to take ages." Annoyed sounds could be heard in the shadows, undoubtedly the aforementioned beings complaining. The bony claws of the creature rose, and they hushed once again.

"No, you are not going to be killed. You are a Hero...Heroes are a rarity, like a diamond in the shifting sands of the desert." An unconscious twitch took to the leader's hands, digits faintly spasming or clenching as he spoke. "You should be kept...you might be useful to the plans."

"The plans to 'Swallow Albion in Darkness', if I recall?" Adrian commented, trying to bite back all the nasty things that attempted to well up at what the creature said. He earned a nod, and followed him with his eyes as he began to step, slowly encircling him.

"Death was going to be your fate, until your actions against your friend-"

"I would use the term 'Friend', loosely. He was bloody annoying."

"-made us reconsider." He halted, now standing to the left of the prince. "You want the throne, to rule Albion. They would want you to protect them all from us, but you..." A low laugh left the creature. "You don't want to protect them, do you?" He tilted his head to the side, almost like an inquisitive bird. "You want to watch them suffer. You want to watch as their blood fills the streets, and see as they turn upon each other like feral, hungry dogs." He seemed a little too entertained at the mental picture. "By the time We step in...all we'd have to do is pick up the pieces."

"And how would you figure I would want that?"

Onyx eyes stared at him in a way that felt as though he peered into the very soul. It made Adrian fidget slightly, shifting back against the remains of a pillar that now laid in pieces upon the stone floor. "You have a darkness in your soul, one that been housed within your body long before you stepped into our lair...You have done terrible things. Did you think I wouldn't know?" The Hero frowned slightly, and looked away from the creature, who was unnamed still.

"Still doesn't mean I'd just hand everyone over for you to do...whatever it is you want to do to them." Adrian folded his arms against his chest.

"You don't have much of a choice." Arms stretched out, gesturing to the cavern around them. "What other alternative do you have? Escape? End us? We'd love to see you try."

...

"So, am I to be nothing more than a canary in a cage until I choose to help you?"

"Our plans will happen, regardless of what you choose. You'll only expedite them..." He turned away, eyes shifting to look at the shadows. "We have waited patiently...and we can continue to wait a little longer, to gather ourselves and prepare." The sharpened teeth snapped a little as he returned his attention to the hero. "Though, your own fate will be determined by your decision. Should you not choose to aid us, we'll see that you're ripped limb from limb, and your body feasted upon...if you do, however...perhaps we'll let you'll live."

"Oh gee, you sure know how to make an offer I can't refuse. Bravo." Sarcasm coated his words as gloved hands clapped together slowly, earning an annoyed look from the cavern-dweller. "So, what exactly should I call you? I can't necessarily say 'Hey, you with the ugly face!'"

He seemed to ignore the insult, instead bowing in a surprisingly elegant manner. "The Crawler."

"Crawler?...Interesting." A yellow glove ran through purple hair, and he sighed. "I'm-"

"Adrian, we know."

"Will you quit doing that?" Adrian huffed, and looked around. "Where's Mephisto?"

"The annoying furred canine that followed you? He managed to leave the cavern...not that we really cared." Spidery fingers waved off the thought. The dog would've proved no use to them in the slightest, and it managed to work its way out of the tunnels, after the shades and their mechanical bodies proved to be enough of a deterrent. We'll leave you to make up your mind...oh, and enjoy your stay." That wretched cackling as heard as he stepped into the darkness, away from the light, and vanished. The many pairs of red eyes belonging to the people that hid within faded along with him, leaving Adrian completely...and utterly alone.

It was considerably more unnerving to sit there without something talking, or staring, or trying to maim or kill him than it was to have the Crawler and his 'Children' lurking about. "Crap." He sighed out of frustration, body reluctantly relaxing and his head tilting back. "I'm never traveling by ship or boat again." Who's brilliant idea had it been to try and steal a ship? Certainly not his. For all the advancements in machinery, they couldn't find an easier way to get to this blasted desert?

He couldn't very well just spend his time sitting here. He had to be productive, had to do...something. Find his weapons, find a way out of here, -anything- would be better than just staying put. Dust and sand scattered across the ground as he stumbled up onto his feet, and after a quick dust-off, he turned to glance at what he could use for light. His green eyes were drawn to one of the many mounds of wax that was scattered throughout the vast cave system. They still had their wicks, and looked...well, seemed like they had just been blown out and untouched for a long while. He pulled a set of what seemed like rocks from a small pouch on his hip, striking them together to produce sparks. A few tries and a small, weak little flame crackled upon the wick, dust popping as it burned. He snapped the small candle off and began stepping away from the trickle of light slipping through the cracks above. Well, he couldn't be too far from the surface if light was entering the place. It was just a matter of how to get there that served to be the challenge.

But, Adrian always was up for a challenge.

The candle provided little light as he stepped farther and farther into the shadows. It was just enough for him to avoid tripping or running into something. He had no idea where he was in the cavern, so far finding all of it to be unfamiliar. It would make sense, for them to put him in an unfamiliar spot. He wouldn't be able to navigate near as easily, find his way out. "Damn it." He spat, holding the candle out and reaching out to look for try and find any walls or anything to help him walk through.

On occasion, he'd catch sight of one of the shades. Their glowing ruby eyes that left wispy trails when they moved. Since the Crawler had ceased their hostility upon the 'guest', they saw no reason to attack him right now, instead following him curiously. They were inquisitive beings when not hungry for blood, it seemed. Adrian didn't shoo them off or attempt to be rid of them...the tension that had tensed his muscles melted away as they joined him, and he silently welcomed their company. "You are strange things." He commented, earning soft chirping sounds, sounding like hybrids of birds and crickets. "You make even stranger noises." The sounds increased and decreased, almost mimicking laughter.

Adrian couldn't resist smiling. "Well, I know that however long I'm stuck in here...at least I'll have someone with a sense of humor keeping me company. You guys...girls...whatever you are are alot less annoying than Walter was. He wouldn't shut the hell up half of the time, rambling on about this or that. Very annoying guy, and I've just been itching to put a bullet in him. Luckily, I got the chance." A low gurgle was heard that made him pause, blinking...until he realized it was actually an all-too-familiar noise. "Um...did the Crawler ever take into account that humans eat?" The blood-red pairs of eyes all seemed to turn to look at one another, as if silently discussing amongst themselves about the all seemed to shift ahead of him, leading the way.

"Alright, well, if you insist...don't drop me down any holes or anything, alright? I'm still not completely sure you -aren't- out to kill me." They kept out of the reach of the candle as he trudged on behind them, following the twists and turns of the halls and tunnels. It seemed like forever, just following the glimmering eyes...until he was led into a huge open room. More light streamed through the center of the section, and water could be heard flowing from a waterfall like display off to the side. "Wow." One of the shades became visible, long enough to gesture up ahead, and up towards the ceiling.

Bats. Tons of them, huddled upon the stone ceiling. Their squeaks and chirped reverberated in the space. "I'm...supposed to eat -those-?" The sets of eyes bounced, nodding in the shadows. "Oh." Well, it couldn't be that bad, right? He had eaten the little fluffy chicks before...though he would daresay their fluffy feathers were irritating since he'd be spitting them out for hours afterwards. He stopped as he saw another familiar figure, creeping in the darkness. The Crawler.

He didn't seem to notice his or the Children's presence, fixated on the little winged mammals hanging above him. He crouched down, his chest expanding and jaws opening...

His blood-curdling roar sent the bats into a flurry of alarm, detaching and swooping down in large clusters, flying haphazardly as they searched for a way out as the loud noise repeated over and over again, fainter each time it sounded. The strange cave-dwelling beast remained absolutely motionless, not a breath, not a blink, not a single twitch of the fingers as the mass of bats whipped past him. It was only when he seemed sure that they thought he was just another formation of stone when those bony digits struck out at an amazing speed, capturing to of the winged creatures, one in each hand. Bats scattered away from him, and eventually swooped past Adrian or returned to their groups up above. The shades caught a few of them, gripping them by their wings in a way that ensured they wouldn't escape.

Adrian watched as the stone-like beast shifted back onto its spiked 'feet', gripping the two flapping, screeching bats and glancing at them for a small moment before he lifted one...a sickening, squelching crunch was heard, effectively silencing one of the winged rodents. The row of sharp, dagger-like teeth sliced through the flesh and shattered the small bones almost too easily. The large head craned back with enough speed to send the lower half of his meal up just enough for the teeth to snap it up and swallow all of it without another moment to chew. His attention turned towards the remaining creature, and opened his mouth, two long point-ended onyx tongue reaching out and coiling around the little beast. Another crack of bones were heard, snuffing out its life as it was dragged into the mouth, teeth shutting like a dungeon door once it was inside.

The prince was frozen from witnessing the macabre scene. He had never expected to see the thing eat. It was...disturbingly fascinating. Forest green eyes followed trails of crimson that drooled out of the serrated mouth, and blinked as dark eyes turned to look at him. "Ummm..." He began as the Crawler stepped closer, almost considering reprimanding him...until he saw the shades holding the little furred mammals and gathered around the violet and banana yellow person. "They...led me here." Adrian pointed to the ruby eyes, and the ends of the deadly mouth twisted downwards as he stared at the hero with multiple unblinking eyes, with a definite intelligence and wariness seen in the gaze. One could practically see the gears in the mind spinning as the hunched over figure broke down why he was there, what to say or if anything needed to be done in the situation.

"They brought you here because it's the easiest place to gather food, and they went out of their way and captured you food. We would advise eating them quickly. Bats die quick from too much stress...and they begin to decompose rapidly once dead." Adrian made a slight grimace at the little mammals, and at the red fluid that dripped down what he figured was the Crawler's 'chin'. He was startled as the being suddenly appeared mere inches from his face, and took a step back, almost dropping the candle he held. "What's the matter, are you...afraid?" He was smirking at him, voice with the same amount of taunting as it did the first time the prince had heard his voice.

"Hmph." Adrian murmured, and took one of the squirming little animals from one of the shade's hands, and stared at it for a long moment. Seconds seemed to tick by, and finally the leader seemed to have enough and took the creature, and harshly shoved the human, the candle 'hopping' across the floor as it left the gloved hand. "Goddamn it, what are you-"

"Silence, we will not allow you to have all this effort done for nothing." Bony fingers snapped the neck of the bat quickly, and began slicing into it, the sharpened tips of the digits causing crimson to pool up from the tiny creature and spill, splattering upon the floor and the man below's clothes. "Hey!" Adrian winced as one of the slender legs stepped upon his chest, preventing him from sitting up too far. One could tell there was a heavy amount of restraint from the ancient being above him, since the spike-like feet could've very well pierced through the mortal's chest as though it were nothing if the full weight of the body had been positioned upon it. He only kept him down long enough to 'prepare the meal' before he allowed the Children to take his place and have them restrain the figure instead.

Bony knees landed upon the floor with a little less grace than he had been going for. It wasn't exactly the easiest to maneuver up and down easily when you lacked the necessary appendages upon your legs for such a move. The Crawler ignored it, though, instead focusing on the hero. Fingers plucked pieces of meat from the corpse within his hands, and reached out. He was stubborn, turning his head away as a means of avoiding it and attempted to pull his arms to be free of the shadow people's grasps with no avail...the jagged mouth just stretched into an amused smile at the sight, not at all deterred by the actions. Instead, he set the 'meal' down on a rock within arm's reach, and used the newly freed hand to grab Adrian's jaw and forcefully turn his head so they were once again staring at each other. Red was smeared upon the snowy skin, tainting it...the smile became a little wider at the thought. His hand wrenched the mouth open, and without a second's delay, he shoved the piece of flesh into the mouth, and then proceeded to clamp the hand over it, preventing him from spitting it out.

The nose wrinkled, eyes narrowing in revulsion. It tasted warm and raw and wild, and raw...did he mention it was raw? It tasted decidedly nasty like that. "Mmph!" He was cursing at the creature, mentally thinking of every vile name he could spit at him. The other was unfazed, instead just doing what he always seemed to do: Stare, waiting for the other to comply. Since there wasn't any alternative to what he could do...he reluctantly chewed, and attempted to swallow. It took several tries, his body trying to keep it out. A shudder of disgust ran down his spine, following its descent into his stomach. It was only after a moment after this that the hand moved away from his mouth, moving to pluck another piece out of the corpse. "If I find my weapons, I am going to use them to kick your ass so hard-" He was interrupted with another piece shoved into his mouth, and yet again with no option to spit it out.

"Oh, we're sorry, were you saying something?" The cave-dweller laughed at the look he was given. If looks could kill, he would've been torn to bits, have those pieces roasted in a fire and the ashes scattered to the four corners of Albion.

The shades bobbed their heads, their amused 'laughter' heard once again as they held the man in place. As Adrian's mouth was freed again, he managed to speak. "Why are you-" He was cut off again, and the stone-like beast answered.

"Why are we doing this? Because we don't want to hear you whining about being hungry later. Humans complain too much about their bodily needs, and when given an answer, they cringe away from it because it isn't how they want it. It's stupidity at its finest." He continued to force-feed the human as he went on. "There's not much to cook with, and its not particularly wise to consider it to begin with, even if you had enough supplies...because its a cave." If they weren't in a 'room' like this, with openings in the ceiling, then they would do nothing but smoke themselves out...and possibly suffocate themselves, if they holed themselves up in a room. "So you don't have much of a choice."

"How much is there left?" the prince croaked out, tilting his head towards the bat.

"Oh, around...half. But not to worry, there's another whole one we've got to get to."

Adrian groaned lowly at the comment, feeling his stomach trying to do backflips and tie itself in a knot. This was going to take forever.


	3. Chapter 3

It was difficult for all parties involved, adjusting to living in the cave or having a human -living- in the cave. The past four days had been complete hell.

During the day, it was warm enough to wander around without worry, but at night the temperature dropped, becoming bitterly cold. Whenever someone exhaled, little puffs of air were visible to the naked eye. The Children had no problem with it, since they were shades. They had no physical bodies, they didn't feel the freezing temperatures...or at the very least, were unfazed by it. The Crawler seemed hardy enough to deal with it...

However, Adrian noted that often, when he caught sight of the strange leader of the shadows during the night, he was gripping the edges of his robe together and the lanky arms were hugged tight to the skeletal frame. It seemed he wasn't too fond of the chilling temperature either. The prince quickly learned that the Crawler was almost just like any other creature in terms of needs. He ate, he drank, he cleaned, he slept...it was a bit of a shocker, in all honesty. To know he disliked cold temperatures just added to it. But while it was uncomfortable for the beast, it was downright scary to be in the cold for the hero. His clothes weren't really enough to provide any amount of substantial warmth to him, and for every moment he thought of sleeping with the cold lurking in the air, he was honestly expecting himself not to wake up.

The Crawler saw this. He considered returning the guild seal, to allow the hero to find some means of warmth, or to hide in there during the night hours. However, it was ruled out for one particular reason: There were weapons there. The prince had proven himself an able fighter, and if he had access to weaponry...no, he wouldn't risk that. Instead, the creature grudgingly offered the hero a choice...which he accepted, much to the beast's dismay.

He slept in a tiny 'room' just off of the one the bats roosted in. It was more like the size of a walk-in closet, and one had to do a bit of climbing to get up into it. Mis-matched fabric, no doubt the clothing of others who had met their ends in the cavern, was hung over the opening as a curtain or door. Adrian would take to the corner, pressing his back against the rough stone, hugging his knees to his chest. The multi-eyed being would just spare a glance at him before collapsing in the middle of it, curling into a tight ball. The hero learned very fast that, contrary to what he thought, the Crawler's body gave off an amazing amount of heat in that small area. It didn't take long at all for the cold to be chased out.

But Adrian rarely slept, and he never slept for very long. He was still in a confined space with a creature who could very well kill him. But, he never did. He always stayed asleep. It was odd, that the leader of this darkness slept at night...but that could've just as well been him trying to avoid the chilling temperature and making time go by in the fastest way everyone knew: sleeping.

It was evident, in the daylight hours, that the lack of sleep was beginning to severely affect the hero. The cavern-dweller found it almost disappointing that their new 'guest' wasn't putting up as much of a fight as he was the first day he came into their care. He'd only give a few verbal complaints when it came time to force food into his stomach, his balance was often dangerously compromised, and he'd often start nodding off at random intervals. His appearance was just as worn as his energy levels. The bright purple and yellow were muted from dust and dirt, various flecks of dried blood from the 'meals' stood out as dark stains. The normally well-taken of curly amethyst hair was frazzled and knotted, and vibrant green eyes were dull from exhaustion.

Adrian leaned against the smooth side of a stone, curled up with his arms hugged to his chest as he attempted to sleep. A few of the shades seemed to curl up with him, their weight feather-light against him, and their chirping breaths lulling. He didn't even bother opening his eyes as he felt an all-too-familiar presence appear. "Go away, Crawler, I'm trying to sleep."

It wasn't so much of a demand as it was a pleading beg. The large, spike-topped head tilted to the side as he looked at him. Instead of complying, he stepped forward, the thin legs avoiding stepping on any of the shadow-people. "Have you thought about our offer, Adrian?"

"When I've been awake enough to process a thought, yeah."

"Have you come to a decision yet?"

"Mm, no I haven't. I'm not awake enough to decide something that important. I haven't been for a few days now."

"It's not our fault you don't sleep."

"Oh yes, it's my fault I don't want to sleep in an enclosed space with a horrible creature holding me here without some sort of weapon in my hands. Yeah..." He murmured unintelligibly after that, obviously losing his interest in talking to the creature. The cavern-dwelling beast left a sigh pass from his jagged teeth, before leaning down and scooping the prince up off the ground with little effort. "I'm in the air, what the...oh...where are we going?" The prince's mind was definitely worn right now, by the fact he wasn't squirming and demanding to be put down.

"We're returning you to our chamber to rest. You're no use to us like this."

"Oh, alright then..." Adrian nodded sluggishly, not up for complaining about the prospect of getting some sleep. However, what he did next made the Crawler freeze in his steps. The man pressed his head against the external rib-cage like pattern of his chest. It was like touching the beast with light-giving fire, and he forced himself not to wince and drop the man. Instead, he stretched his arms out further, holding the human away from him as though he was a diseased animal. He came to a halt as the rocky wall was within, and glanced down at the other. He sighed, shifting the other so that he was slung over his shoulder, allowing him to climb without much worry. Spiked 'feet' acted like picks, able to dig into the narrow gaps and stand on small ridges normally too thin for humans to stand upon. Sharpened claws dug into the rock, lifting him and his 'guest' up, proving he was alot stronger than he appeared.

Adrian was already well asleep by the time he was set down in the chamber. The Crawler crouched, looking down at him with interest. "Hmm." He had seen many humans throughout the years. He had seen how they behaved, how they lived. They were horrid, disgusting parasites that needed to be thinned out on the earth. But this one was somehow interesting. Perhaps it was the fact he cared little for humans, that he had darkness in his heart...perhaps it was the strange, vivid and 'bright' appearance. A hand reached out, brushing sharpened finger tips over the snow-colored skin. The mortal twitched slightly, giving a quiet hum but doing nothing to bat it away.

The stalagmite looking creature remained for a few more moments, before turning sharply and stepping quickly, leaping out of the opening and landing harshly. Perhaps the other would be more willing to speak when he got the chance to sleep.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It was late afternoon the next day when Adrian woke up. Eyes reluctantly opened to find that the owner of said 'bedroom' had long since slept during the night and left. His body felt sluggish from the fatigue it had suffered, and he all but crawled out and down into the main roosting area of the bats.

It took a bit of searching, but he soon found the creature hunched over the supply of water flowing through the room. Thin hands cupped together, splashing it over the large face, washing away the latest flow of blood from one of his bat meals. Onyx eyes flicked to look at him, not even having to turn his head, given the set of eyes on the sides of his head. "Slept long enough?"

"Think so...I feel horrible though." The oddly-colored man ended up beside him, peeling off the yellow gloves and scooping up water to do the same as the other, though it was more to wake him up more than anything. He was quiet for a long time, simply staring into the water. Finally, he got the nerve to speak up. "So, I was thinking...I want to learn more about you and the Children and this 'Darkness' before I decide anything. Think you can humor me with that?" He wanted to get right down to things, that was good. The jagged mouth twisted into a smirk, and the spiky head bowed.

"Of course, though we want the chance to ask questions in return. Quid pro quo."

"How come? I thought you knew everything about me."

"Not everything. Just some things...for instance, we don't know how you got your skin so abnormally pale."

"Oh, that? That...was from a 'gift' I was given awhile ago. An admirer gave me this bracelet, and begged me to wear it. To get them to shut up, I did it, seeing no harm. Ended up being cursed. Stole the color right out of my skin...'Compassionate people see the world in it's full, colorful glory. Those with cruelty in their hearts see only in black and white, green and red...let this reflect which you really are'." Adrian recited, looking up towards the creature. "Bracelet fell off as soon as it was done, and, well...here I am. They did not, however, say anything about what you wear or what color your hair is." He smirked, brushing away a frizzy strand of curly purple hair from his eyes with a finger, which had nails formed and colored into sharp red claws. The Crawler rose one of the eye ridges as he looked at him. It was a bit surprising, admittedly. "So...why do you want to take over Albion? Is it really because of the humans?"

"Mostly. We believe that humans are parasites. They contribute nothing to the world...they have evolved to become parasites. They cannot live with what is around them. They must build houses, they must raise walls, they must dam water and clear forests for their land. Though they have 'rules' set to lead them, they act little more than the animals they claim they're superior over. They murder, they lust, they hoard...the world would do do better without them, and we would do better not living in a cave." He crouched down, long arms reaching behind him as he leaned back, sitting on the pebbles and sand beside the man. Soft 'pops' were heard from the joints as the lithe form adjusted to the new position, and he continued his questioning. "Why did you kill the other, the one with light?" He was referring to Walter, and how quickly Adrian had murdered him when given the opportunity.

A single laugh, more of a hum, left the individual beside him. Fingers idly picked up a pebble, rolling it around between the digits as he answered. "It was revenge. A selfish motivator, I know. I used to live in the castle, I used to have a home that was always there, friends that always knew where I was and could come visit at anytime. I could do almost whatever I wanted. My brother, King Logan, screwed all of that up. I had to choose between killing my best friend, or killing a group of people." He could tell the leader of the darkness was itching to ask who he chose. "I said I wanted a third choice. He was about to say that I could not spare both of them, and I cut him off, saying: 'I want them both executed'. The look on his face was priceless...the look on everyone else's face more so." His fingers paused in their fiddling with the stone, and he rolled his head to look over at the figure next to him. "Well, after clearly seeing that my brother had lost his mind, Walter decided to drag me out of bed in the middle of night and escape out of there so I could take the throne over and make Albion 'a better place'. Jasper, my butler, tagged along, but it was Walter who forced me into doing this goody-goody thing. Giving empty promises, having to save people who should die from their own stupidity or helping people who can't help themselves..."

"An animal on a leash, paraded around for all to see, forced to do tricks to entertain people...and when it finally gets the chance, it turns on its handler without a second thought." The Crawler mused, the dagger-tooth mouth twisting into an entertained grin. Adrian smiled at the comment, finding it equally amusing. Adrian found himself amazed that he could sit there and simply talk with the being, without one of them trying to piss the other off in some way. It was bizarre, but oddly comfortable to just chatter like this. He asked. "Where did you come from?"

"The Void." Two simple words, but it earned Adrian's complete and undivided attention. He was about to ask what it was like, but he was interrupted. "Ah, ah, ah. You'll have to wait your turn. We answered your question. You have to answer ours. Quid pro quo, remember?" A pouting expression came to the ivory-skinned man's face, and he mumbled a faint 'fine'. "Why do you not care much for your fellow humans?"

"I just...don't. Never really have. I've cared more about animals than I ever have about people. Animals act as they're supposed to...and the ones who are pets, love you unconditionally. Humans act how they want or how everyone else dictates, and love you provided you meet their criteria, and keep to their conditions." He scowled. "Anyways, what's the Void like?"

"Warm and dark would be the best way to describe it. There wasn't much light, and what little there was didn't burn like the light you have here." The black eyes closed, head tilting upwards as memories of a home long abandoned returned to him. "There are entities that inhabit that world, that I believe you mortals refer to as 'demons' and 'monsters'...souls enter and are taken to meet their ends..."

"So, it's kind of like Hell, from the sounds of it."

"In a way, yes. Except it doesn't have an endless amount of fire like how mortals portray it. No, it's much different. One would truly have to see it to fully understand, and it's poisonous to those who have mortality in this world, so not many glimpse its dark wonder and come out well." Dark eyes opened again, glancing at the human. "Are you seriously thinking over our offer?"

"Yes, actually." Adrian stated simply, and immediately asked another question. "Do you ever get lonely, Crawler?"

Silence met him for awhile. Glowing green eyes looked towards the cavern-dweller to find a look of inner debate on the stone-like features. It didn't look as though even the ancient being knew how exactly to answer that. "Would you rather I ask something else?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. Well, um...can I touch you?" The look on the Crawler's features made him quickly explain what he meant. "I mean, just on the head or something. I'm just curious. You look like you're made of stone, but I want to feel for myself." There was hesitance from the creature, who shifted so he sat with the bony legs crossed and the nimble fingered hands resting in his lap.

"We...-suppose- you could." The hunched back straightened a little as he tensed, eyes closing again. Adrian reached out, and for the first time actually touched the beast that had kept him there in the caves. Fingertips brushed over the side of the head, over one of the 'faces'. Despite the appearance of stone, the skin was more akin to a thin, treated leather. Soft, yet with a hint of roughness, and all of it decidedly warm. Red nails traced the creases and ridges of the face while Adrian listened to the low breathing of the creature. The facial features would twitch on occasion, showing obvious discomfort in what was being done. Until, however, the prince's fingers glided up one of the spiky growths atop the head.

Green eyes widened as a stuttering gasp left the ancient figure, sounding almost as if someone had knocked the very air out of his lungs. He was about to pull back, until he noticed the faint tilt of the head, which shifted it just a tad closer to the hand. The luminescent green eyes then narrowed, a smirk pushing at the corners of his lip as he pressed the tips of his fingers against the spike, running down the length of it. What he got made him bite his red lips, trying to prevent laughter from leaving him.

The Crawler was -purring-. Or, more accurately, giving a low, humming growl. It'd stretch on with each exhale, only to pause as the lungs pulled air back into the body to repeat the process. The skeletal body, adorned in a brown robe, seemed to go lax as Adrian repeated the movement over and over. This thing was just full of surprises.

He continued for a few more fleeting moments, before he withdrew his hand. It took a second for the other to process that the pleasing action had ended, and rigidly sat up again, opening the onyx eyes and glancing over at the all-too-entertained look on the odd-colored hero's face. "You know, Crawler...I think I'll take up that offer of yours."

"You...you are actually accepting our proposal?" There was an unmistakeable daze drifting under his voice.

"Yes, I am. I think your points are valid, I don't give a crap what happens to Albion...and it'll hopefully give me the chance to deal with a few...'loose ends', so to speak." He reached out, holding out a hand. The Crawler glanced between the person and the hand, and the jagged mouth twisted into a grin as he reached out with the opposite hand. Long fingers curled around the hand, and shook it. A dull red glow appeared before their palms, and Adrian watched as inky black markings twirled through the gaps between fingers, black tendrils twisting downwards long the back of the hand, twisting around a sun symbol. As he pulled his hand away to look at the palm of his hand, a blood red circle was etched into the palm, with black swirling around it.

"Welcome to the Darkness." The Crawler spoke, rising up to his full height, and offering a hand to the other to help him up to his feet. "We think this is cause to celebrate." He pulled the prince up as he took the offer, and Adrian blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean by 'celebrating'?"

"It's been awhile since we paid the city of Aurora a visit. It is time to replenish the numbers that you and that other human thinned out...we're sure you'd want to get out of the cave for awhile. Unless, of course, you'd rather stay here..." He turned, beginning to walk away with that taunting tone in his voice. He instantly heard the scurrying steps of boots hurrying over the loose pebbles and sand as he rushed to keep to the side of the creature.

"Are you crazy? Wait, don't answer that. Of course I'd want to get out of here for awhile."

Shades suddenly appeared, countless glowing eyes lighting up in the darkness as the light that filtered through the crack in the ceiling waned as daylight was close to leaving with the night in its place. "Then let's go and surprise the Aurorans." Shades gripped Adrian's arms, and he watched as the familiar cavern melted away into black, ground giving out underneath him. The only thing that reassured him were the various pairs of hands that held onto him. Things began to fade in, though it was clear it was not the cave anymore. Strange buildings carved of stone were all over, there were no people in sight, various twisted poles holding up lanterns...all of it was just ahead of them.

"Welcome to the city of Aurora." The Crawler's voice was heard, but wasn't spoken aloud this time. It was like a thought that invaded Adrian's mind, that echoed and bounced off of the skull.

"How exactly am I going to do anything looking like this? I mean, I'm supposed to gain their support, after all..."

"Clench the hand with the mark." Green eyes glanced at said hand, examining the marking before hesitantly doing as told. Red glowed from the palm, and the black markings began to bleed out, creeping along the ivory skin and engulfing it in black. Clothes seemed to meld and disappear into the body, the hair lengthening into one long wisp of shadow. The red marks around the eyes twisted and distorted into serrated vines creeping out of the eyes, which remained their bright green. Black and red feathered wings tore from the back, stretching out into their full length, and twisted venomous green horns coiled from the head, coiling around long pointed ears. A slithering, blade-ended tail coiled behind him, and he uneasily shifted on clawed feet.

A slow breath in, and an exhale were needed to calm the shaking form. A swarm of thoughts and voices not his own echoed in his head like a swarm of angry bees, and complex thoughts seemed to simplify to cope with the amount of new things to deal with. "Children...attack." It was a simple command that silenced the many voices speaking in the mind, and everything started moving. Adrian could do nothing but follow the wave of darkness, listening to the hypnotic low droning that played endlessly in the mental connection.

The lights that shone out from lanterns or buildings were extinguished as the Darkness washed into the city. He could hear the crack of wood and shattering of glass as the Children tore at doors and windows, the rumble of buildings as they forced their way through the walls. Screams of women and children cried out into the night air, men were yelling...an occasional bullet skimmed over shoulders or past ears, but their sources were ended before they could become accurate. Shades dragged people out of their homes, some briefly vanishing to whisk them away, and some venting their wrath on those they dragged out.

Red stained sand or splattered across stone, followed by the dying gurgles or whimpers of those unfortunate enough to end up in the Children's grasp. Adrian had just helped in the destruction, not in the killing...until he heard the quick shifting of sand, the sound of footsteps. Large ears rose and rotated, and his head quickly twisted to look in the direction of the sounds. A woman, attempting to run away from the shadows that attacked the city. The shades were all so busy, The Crawler was nowhere to be found...

His body reacted before his mind did. The slender, black form that was currently his body lurched forward, clawed feet pushing off of the shifting sand as he broke into a run. The large onyx and crimson wings folded against the back, bladed tail whipping behind him as he followed. He slid as he turned sharply, glowing green orbs locked on the fleeing form. He kept following tirelessly until she found herself trapped in a dead end. She pressed her back to the cooling stone, clutching a small bundle to her chest that whimpered and shifted in her grasp. A baby...she started speaking as the black, red and green form stopped at the opening, blocking off her only escape route. She was pleading, begging, while praying to whatever deity there was that they would protect her. Her pleas only got more desperate as he stepped closer, opening his mouth to smile. Her eyes widened as rows upon rows of thin, needle teeth were exposed, and she screamed as he lunged at her...

The last sounds to register in his ears were the twin screams of mother and child, and the sickening wet sound of flesh tearing...


	4. Chapter 4

Darkness engulfed him, no source of light to be seen...and yet, Adrian was not afraid, or threatened. In fact, he could daresay he felt comforted. The warmth was calming, soothing, and he could not help but give a gentle sigh.

He could remember the night before, the change, the violence, the bloodshed...where it should've destroyed someone from the guilt, he found himself overjoyed. He would have to remember to ask the Crawler more about it later. It would be interesting learning more about this gift that had been given to him and how to gain better control over it...

His train of thought stopped as he felt clawed fingers slide over him. They brushed over clothes teasingly, pressing just enough to be felt through the fabric. He felt warm breath brush against the side of his neck, hearing low murmured taunts being whispered in his ear. Long twin tongues slithered out, sliding over ghostly white flesh stretched over the neck, softly chuckling at the whimper that escaped the man. Claws undid the straps of the vest, peeling it off of the hero's form. As one hand diverted to the belt to unfasten it, while the other slid underneath the puffy dirty white shirt and pushed it up as it trailed to the chest. "When we're done with you, hmm hmm...there won't be a single place of that body of yours that -isn't- tainted." As the belt was thrown to the side, Adrian breathed in a gasp-

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Green eyes snapped open quickly, shaky breaths escaping him. He looked around quickly, trying to determine where he was and what time it was. He was back in the bed chamber, gloves returned to his previously bare hands and as he peered out through the curtain, he found it was only just becoming morning. He felt as though he had only just fallen asleep five minutes ago, and sighed as he realized he wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon. Instead, he rolled over to find the Crawler, curled up right beside him, looking as though he had just fallen asleep himself. Blood was spread across the visible form and stained the robes. Remembering what had occurred the night before, it was easy to explain where it had come from.

A pink color stained normally white cheeks as he stared at the strange being beside him, as if expecting him to awake at any time. But he didn't. The strange dream that had forced Adrian to the realm of the conscious made the heat and the close proximity to the creature uncomfortable, and he eased away from him. He winced as he rolled off the ledge, twisting his body to press against the wall of stone. Once he was on the ground again, he soon found himself just aimlessly wandering through the twisting tunnels of the carved stone, candle in hand again. He used a stone to mark the walls to leave a bread trail to follow later, and just wandered. Without his little guides he used, he would've most assuredly ended up lost.

Breath left him in visible little clouds that dissipated as he walked through them. His arms settled as close to the body as they could, trying to keep the warmth contained in his body while keeping the candle a safe distance away from him. He tried to ignore the shaking that quickly attacked his form. At least the uncomfortable warmth was fading away...

On occasion, he'd catch sight of the shades. They were feasting upon the corpses of those they had abducted. Adrian could pick out the 'new' shades, just by watching them. They were like newborns, clumsy and unused to their semi-transparent bodies. How they were made, he could only guess, but he was sure they had to do with those they had kidnapped earlier. They would occasionally glance up at him, eyes shining like rubies. Then they turned back to what they were doing, and Adrian did the same.

It wasn't until he came to a dead end, a room far below the surface with land and rocks surrounded on three sides. Large glowing crystals grew from the walls, reflecting off of the gently shifting waters to bath the room in a dim, but beautiful light. Moss covered many of the stones, and not a bat nor shade nor anything else that might've inhabited the cave was seen. He sat on the edge of the water, ditching the gloves and rolling up his sleeves, dipping his hands in the icy water. It bit at the fingers, stinging like prickling needles. It didn't stop him from swallowing a few mouthfuls, and spilling it over his head, feeling it soak tangled hair and trickle down his face and neck. He exhaled, feeling himself calm.

What on earth had caused that form of dream to materialize? And of the Crawler, of all things? He supposed it was only natural, for the body to have its natural little urges...and it made sense that it'd manifest as those he had been around for the past few days. It still didn't make it any easier on the mind. To think of that walking stalagmite as anything more than an ally, or perhaps a 'business partner', would be silly.

And yet...the little segment of a dream briefly flashed in his mind, making his swallow thickly and shake his head in a vain attempt to clear the thoughts from his head. Even as his body was being robbed of its head, he couldn't stop thinking of it. The Crawler was strange. On one hand, he was a life-ender, taunting and tormenting, always carrying himself with a sense of superiority and freedom to do whatever he wished whenever he felt like it. But on the other hand, he was fascinating. Beneath the hard shell he put up, he was just like any other creature, with the same basic needs...with emotions, with thoughts...

He was startled as the familiar voice broke the silence. "It'd be very inconvenient for you to die from the cold, we would think." The same taunting tone, though it held significant exhaustion. The prince turned to find the slender legs stretching out in the long strides, slowing as he came beside him. "Why in the name of the darkness are you up so early?"

"Odd dream woke me up, couldn't get back to sleep. I thought the cold might help me think a bit, maybe wear me down so I'm tired enough to sleep."

"What sort of odd dream?" A low grunt was heard, the clatter of pebbles following as he sat down, pulling his legs close to him to avoid the freezing water.

Adrian didn't answer, just staring out at the water and the crystal's reflections. "Why are these crystals down here? I thought you were against all light sources."

"These were here long before we inhabited these caves. We decided to leave them, to act as a 'safe point' for those who might've made it this far into the caves. Just to give that little bit of challenge. Nobody, however, has made it this far...you're the first human that's stepped foot in this part."

"Does light hurt you? I mean, I could understand the torch hurting because of the fire, but..."

"Yes, it does. Though it depends on the source, the amount, the intensity, the amount of time being exposed to it...so on." The Crawler rolled one of the clawed hands. "This isn't harmful to us. Something like stepping out into broad daylight, however, is."

Adrian nodded in slight understanding, and another break of silence occurred between them, and eventually the prince asked another question. "What happened to me last night? I mean..."

"The form. We know." A sigh left him, trying to determine the best, and most simple way of explaining. "When you accepted out proposal, you became a part of the Darkness. You are almost like one of the Children, but...stronger, better. Plus, you have the ability to retain your human form." The eyes on one of the side faces looked at him. "We will teach you how to use it, but...our lessons will have to be done while you're traveling. You must return to the humans and lead them into a false sense of security. Pretend to be the hero they desire so greatly until we come."

"How long will that take?"

"A year." The hero beside him had an incredulous expression on his face. "We are not asking for you to be a 'good' hero. Do what you wish, stab your 'friends' and your people in the backs...but to create a force large enough to completely swallow Albion, we will need time."

"When am I going to be returned to them?"

"Tomorrow." It was exciting, but disappointing to the hero at the same time. It would be good to deal with people again, sort of. At the very least, it'd be nice to be outside again and get actual food. But, it'd be hard not having shades or the Crawler lurking around. He had been there less than a week, and already he had grown accustomed to the presence of everyone. They weren't all that bad, when they weren't trying to scare the crap out of you or kill you.

"Think you can manage to squeeze in a few visits here and there? Keep updated on what's going on?"

"We'll have to see."

Adrian sighed, picking up a pebble and launching it across the water, watching as it skipped over the surface a few times before finally sinking. "You never did answer my question the other day." It was the beast's turn to be quiet. Black eyes searched the space in front of them, and eventually slid closed.

"Sometimes, we find ourselves 'lonely', as you put it. The Children do not offer much in the realm of companionship for one such as us."

"Are there such things as relationships in the Void?" Adrian inquired. He had countless questions, it seemed. But, it wasn't as though either of them had anything better to do right now.

"Yes. It is not uncommon for those in the Void to come together. We didn't often pair with others, we were too busy planning and plotting for such trivial things." He had noted the ever-visible shivering of the mortal beside him, who was attempting to ignore the cold. A slightly reluctant noise passed by jagged teeth, before he moved into a different seating position, and moved his arm in a gesture. "For the love of all that is dark, Adrian, come here." There was a stare-off, silent stubbornness radiating from the human. But, he withered under the unblinking black eyes, and crawled to sit between the slender, insect-like legs. Bony arms closed around him, pulling him against the skeletal chest just barely covered by the short robe. Adrian couldn't help but shift closer to the all-too-pleasant warmth the other's body radiated. "Foolish human." The Crawler murmured under his breath, resting his chin upon the frazzled purple hair.

"Stupid Void monster." Adrian retaliated, chuckling to show he was joking. There was no sound but that of their breathing and the lapping of the water as it flowed for a long while. Adrian was content soaking up the heat and trying to halt the trembling of his body. But, with nagging curiosity, he asked. "Hey, Crawler? One more question for you for now. When I changed earlier, it was as though I walked into a stadium of people, except in my mind. What was that?"

"Oh yes, that. That is what links all of us together. You, The Children, us...all those of the Darkness can communicate with each other. We share our thoughts, our emotions, our plans, all in one little link. We can show you how to use it, if you wish. We need to get things in your mind settled, anyways, so you're fully conscious of what's going on when you change."

"Um..sure. Go ahead." He wasn't quite sure he -wanted- to let the long-lived figure into his mind, especially after what had woken him up to begin with. But to deny him would certainly make him inquire..."What need to happen to do this?" He was nudged into position so they were facing each other, and the bony palm rested upon his forehead, long fingers coiling loosely around the head.

"Relax, and clear your mind." Several minutes passed by quietly, and the fair-skinned hero really had attempted to relax and settle his mind. However, an annoyed sound came from the beast.

"You're not relaxing."

"I'm trying! It's hard, though." Green eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Well, think of something relaxing! A sight, a scent, a sound..." The Crawler spoke with slight exasperation, obviously missing a great deal of his patience by the lack of sleep. Adrian tried to think of something that would help, but with little avail...until he thought of something.

"Well, you can help with that." Before any question of what he was thinking could be uttered, fingers reached up, running over the spiky 'crown' growing upon the cavern-dweller's skull. The robe-adorned body went as stiff as a board for a few fleeting milliseconds before becoming lax and limp. "We hate you for discovering this..." The half-hearted sentence was practically a whisper floating past jagged teeth, soon followed by the low rumbling with each breath outwards.

"Oh really? Doesn't sound like you hate it." Adrian taunted, earning a brief snort but nothing else in response. The mortal closed his eyes, focusing on the repeating noise the other was making. It was the thing that allowed him to finally slip into the state of consciousness required...

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It was as though he was transported into pitch darkness, with a light source that seemed to be from everywhere and nowhere that allowed him to see himself at the very least. The leader of the darkness soon appeared, fading into view with a wisp of shadow. "Where are we?" The human inquired as the other dusted himself off and began walking ahead.

"We are in your mind. We would advise keeping up...getting lost in one's own mind is a very dangerous thing. And, as tempting as it is to let you wander, we're not too keen on the idea of having to track you down." Adrian had to move double-time to catch up to the older creature. He didn't move fast, but the long legs did allow him a longer stride.

"So this is my mind? Seems rather...blank."

"Give it a moment." Was all that was uttered. The whispering of so many voices began to slowly trickle in, becoming louder and more plentiful the further in they walked.

"So all of those voices belong to the Children?"

"Mm-hmm. They are small thoughts...primitive, simple. They are little more than instincts and urges given by the taint of the human souls that make them. But, they can think. This is all of them thinking...I'll make it so you can tune them out when you need it." Buildings began to rise up from the darkness, connecting and forming. All of them were different, each a building or place of significance he had been to. The castle, Brightville, Bowerstone, the caverns, so many others scattered. They had doors, each labeled with something different. Memories of said locations, emotions, dreams, fears, and too many others to list. Adrian gasped, clinging to the Crawler's arm as the ground below them rumbled and rose up into a platform that allowed them to reach the rest of it with a mere step. "What's the matter, Hero? Afraid?" He was mocking him, he knew it. The human quickly let go of him and stepped to the side, a stride away from him and dusted himself off, pink faintly staining the white cheeks.

"Shut up, I thought the ground was going to give out, and if I was going to fall, then I wanted to drag you down with me."

"Hmm hmm hmm...you know, it's not exactly wise to lie in your own mind. We can easily see the truth with a mere opening of a door." He gestured to the doors as he walked, prompting Adrian to hurry up to keep to his side again. He just received a 'hmph' in response. "So, where exactly are we going?"

"We must fuse your consciousness with the bestial nature of the taint within you what we gave life." He was heading straight for the cavern section, right to a barred barrier door stuck in an opening, marked 'Shade'. With a loud, drawn out squeak, the door was pushed open. "Step inside, Adrian." The purple-haired man stared into the dim cavern hall inside, and warily stepped inside, looking around as the black-eyed monster stepped in and closed the door behind them, taking the lead once again. They ended up in a room of smooth stone, and in the center of it was a crystalline cage, and within the cage was a figure with inky black skin.

Glowing, venomous green eyes looked up, the jingling of chain links shifting over stone and rubbing against each other heard as it stood up, placing clawed fingers upon the see-through crystal caging. It tilted its head, breathing in slowly, eyes narrowing. "Crawler...Host..." It hissed, recognizing the two forms ahead of it. The mouth seemed to split open into an unnaturally wide smile, baring wicked needle teeth. "Took you long enough."

"I thought you said it was bestial." Adrian commented as he stood just in front of the thin glass-like material that separated them.

"We said it had a bestial nature...it was born from the darkness in your heart. It's just as intelligent as you. But, it does not share the societal views and rules that limit you." An eyebrow ridge rose as the Crawler spoke, pressing a hand against the crystal, black eyes following cracks as they began to form. Crimson claws of the shade began to pick at the widening gaps, breaking it and aiding it to shatter. The hero moved back to avoid large pieces of crystal as the prison collapsed and scattered into piles.

"Do the chains next, do the chains next!" Wings that looked like molten lava fluttered fervently, arms and legs trying to force the chains off of them. "The chains, the chains, you must break them!" It was pining for freedom, and its desperation just made its host turn to look at the ancient being beside him.

"Why is he acting like that? And what's with the chains?"

"The chains represent limitations. Humans, throughout their years of life upon this world, have created rules to 'discipline' themselves, and become something superior than animals. But, in order for humans to follow these laws and rules, they must go against the very nature that they are born with. When they are young, it is instilled in them what is right and what is wrong. They are conditioned to ignore their instincts, unless in a time where their life is threatened. When this is done, by parents, by society...they begin to form chains. Each link in the chain is a rule, a restriction upon what you can and cannot do, what the punishments are if you go against what is law.." The creak and snap of metal came as the long fingers slid under the edges of the shackles and forced them open.

"But we cannot have that. When you are part of the darkness, you must embrace your bestial nature. We must...grr...break the chains, to be free of inhibitions. He is acting like that because, well...how would you behave at the prospect of freedom, after being caged like an animal for so long? True, he has only just received consciousness, but he has been caged here long before then." The final one was broken, and a grunt came from the human as the dark creature charged at him, tackling him to the floor. Arms and legs coiled around him, and a quick repeating warble rolled from his throat. Bony fingers were placed over the jagged mouth, trying and failing miserably to prevent snickering from escaping him. "Should I leave you two alone for a little while to get acquainted?"

"Oh hell no! Get him off!" Never had he seen the mortal so embarrassed, trying to pry the personification of his 'dark side' off of him.

"Oh, but my host, we have ssssooo much catching up to do." He sat up, peering down at the human that laid on the floor below him. "Besides, we need to talk about a certain dream of yours, and Crawler over there."

"Shh, don't bring that up right now-"

"What dream?" Green eyes closed in a slight cringe as the ancient being's attention was caught.

"Nothing, it was nothing." Adrian tried to cover it up, but the shade wouldn't allow it.

"Like hell it was nothing. I don't consider a wet dream with him to be 'nothing'." He glanced back at the older figure, who had tilted his head in a manner that signified he was trying to determine what the shade said had meant. So, naturally, being a creature of no inhibitions, no morality and no common sense of decency, went on. "I mean, dreaming those bony hands were all over you, those tongues being used in certain ways...taunting and-" He was cut off with a fist slamming into his jaw, knocking him off of him. "You son of a bitch, that hurt!" The shade screamed, holding the spot where the fist had met bone.

"Well, you shouldn't be running your mouth about those things!" Adrian pushed himself into a crouch and propelled himself forward, knocking the shade into the floor and proceeding to fight with him. Various curses and insults were shared as the two sides, which were supposed to be getting along so they were harmonious with each other, were trying to kill each other.

The Crawler, meanwhile, was left completely and utterly speechless. The large mouth was agape, and with each attempt to say something even moderately intelligent, he found himself stopping before a single word could be uttered. Well, how could anyone react to that sort of information, especially when put so...bluntly? He willed himself out of the shock, and strode quickly, reaching down and pulling them both apart, giving a low sound as he brought them together, the crack of skulls meeting each other heard, followed by their pained groans. "What the hell?"

"Couldn't you have done something less painful to make us stop?" Adrian complained, holding his head sorely. "I mean, he has horns, it hurt me ten times more than it hurt him!"

"Oh silence, both of you. You're supposed to be getting along so the transition between human and shade is easier. You are -not- supposed to be killing each other."

"He started it!" They both pointed towards each other, and if the crawler had any veins capable of doing it, one would've probably been visibly throbbing on his forehead right now.

"We don't care who started it, get over it and make up!" He dropped them, and they glared at each other unhappily. Slender arms crossed over the rib-cage like chest, fingers tapping with annoyance. "We're waiting."

"Sorry." They both murmured, and reluctantly shook hands as a sign of forgiveness, and cooperation. Both pairs of green eyes spared a look up towards the hunched over figure, who seemed satisfied with it.

"I think that's enough for now. We can work on you two being further cooperative with each other in another lesson. For now, it is best to return to the waking world, and prepare for sleep."

"Aw, already? B-But, you just got here!" The shade whined. A glare from those unblinking black eyes made him shrink under their gaze. "Y-You know what? Perhaps that is a good idea...the host and Crawler didn't get much sleep..." He watched as Adrian was grabbed by the shoulder and they faded out of view.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

A gasp left the human as the familiar, frigid cave returned. A low grunt left the Crawler as black eyes refocused and he regained his sense of the world about him. With slight difficulty, he let go of the human and got up to his feet, eager to retreat out of the cold. "Come, let us return to the bed chamber to try and sleep while we can." Adrian noted he seemed quick to get moving. He rose up, hugging his arms to his chest and followed him.

"Um, Crawler, can I say that what the shade-"

"We'll discuss that when we awake. Too much has occurred, and we do not have enough energy to spare much coherent thought to it."

The ivory-skinned man just frowned. He supposed he made a point...still, the subject would continue to nag at him until he got the chance to say something about it. When they managed back into the small hollowed out part of the cave, they turned their backs to each other, and didn't mutter a single word before finally letting exhaustion take them over and drag them down into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

He was avoiding him.

The Crawler had made it a point to completely disappear for the last day Adrian had left in the cavern. Nobody, not even the shades, could figure out where he disappeared to. It seemed just as well, the prince wasn't looking forward to talking to him about the subject he was sure was the reason the other was hiding to begin with. so, the day passed by uneventfully, with the Children trying to keep Adrian entertained the best that they could.

"Guys, you are very kind, but it's...getting pretty boring." He sighed, and the two shades ceased in their efforts to juggle rocks and other objects lying around the room. They, along with the other countless shadow-people that surrounded him, who all gave whispering sighs of their own, flopping down to sit on the ground around him. "Hey, you tried." He stretched his arms out to the side, pulling two of the dark-skinned beings close to him in a partial hug. "There's just not alot to do here. When I become king, and start living in the castle, I'll have to let some of you visit to show you what fun you can have. Have you guys ever played with things called 'toys'?" They all shook their heads or gave unsure glances. "Well, there's those, you have games that you can play, more space to do said games..."

"How about I tell you a few stories to pass the time?" They all eagerly nodded, cooing like doves as they gathered around him like children for story time. The human grinned warmly, and swiped a hand over a pile of sand in front of him, smoothing it out. "Alright, well, once upon a time..." He told stories about his childhood, drawing detailed pictures in the sand to show them the scenery or monsters, or other things. They all listened in complete fascination. They chittered in laughter at comedic parts, they gave suspenseful 'Ooh..'s, frightened squawks, sad whimpers...they were so drawn into what was being said. Somehow, even though the Crawler had claimed their intelligence was relatively simple, they seemed to understand what was being said to them. It was just the sort of thing they all needed to pass the time.

So sucked into their story-time were they that none of them noticed the familiar hunched being peering around a corner, the corners of the sharp-toothed mouth twitching upwards in a faint smile at the sight. The Children chirped as Adrian leapt to his feet, breaking off a nearby stalagmite to use as a sword as he hopped up on a nearby piece of rubble. He was showing off his swordsmanship, talking about a battle he had with a horde of hobbes. "They're short lil' buggers, so you got to aim low. As I knocked one of them out with the butt of the blade, I watched as poor Walter ended up headbutted unceremoniously in the groin. Oh, the words that came out of his mouth were so amusing, both me and the hobbes had to pause for a few moments in our fighting to laugh!" A barrage of giggling was heard, both from the Children and from the man. They laughed even harder as the hero lost his balance and fell, landing on his backside and kicking up dust and dirt in a cloud surrounding him. He found himself with a swarm of the dark creatures piling on top of him, playfully tackling him. "Oh no, the Children, they've got me!" He announced, before claws began to tickle his sides and stomach. "Oh no, no, stop it, I'm ticklish!" He pleaded between laughter, only making them tickle even more.

It wasn't a wonder why they were named 'the Children'. They did as their guardian commanded, just like a child would obey a parent...and when they were not attacking, they really were nothing more than a group of children. Albeit potentially dangerous children, but nonetheless...

An inaudible sigh left the old beast as he looked at them. He remained, hidden in the darkness, simply studying the scene before him. Adrian had adapted quickly, much quicker than humans normally would've...not that he had many examples to compare it too. The gift of the Darkness had only been given to a rare few, and those had betrayed the wave of shadow at some point or another, prompting their execution. They could've lived on without end, had they not done so. But this hero, Adrian, was different. He saw the Children as sentient beings, younglings to play with and care for, and in turn, the shades offered unconditional love and a need to please in return. It was heart-warming, even to one such as the Crawler, who had rarely touched upon such emotions like 'care'. The smile widened as the shades and Adrian settled down, the blackened forms cuddled up with him as he told a more calm tale. He waited until it had come to an end before making himself noticed. "There you are, Crawler! Me and the Children thought you dropped off of the face of the planet! Where were you?"

"Oh, here and there. One should expect that the leader of the Darkness should know a hiding place or two that makes him incapable of being found."

"Guess that makes you the master of hide and seek, right?"

"Yes, we suppose it does." The crawler knew what the human game was, at the very least. "We wish to speak to you...privately." Obsidian eyes glanced at the shades as they all gave groans of disappointment. "Don't worry, Children. You can play with him plenty later. You still have a day before he departs from us." He curled a finger, pointing the bed chamber. Adrian nodded and got up, the dark beings reluctantly crawling off of him and dissipating away. They climbed up, and the beast hummed as he pulled the curtain over the opening.

"Bet you that they'll be eavesdropping."

"No doubt. Their curiosity always did override courtesy. Oh well, let them eavesdrop." Spidery fingers waved at the curtain as he scooted away, leaning against the wall and settling into a cross-legged seated position. "So...let us speak about the other night, shall we?"

"Was that why you were hiding?"

"...Yes." It was a reluctant reply. "We had to think and collect our thoughts before we wished to discuss it. We felt it better to prepare. So...explain to us exactly what was your darker self speaking about?"

"Oh, um...let's see..." Adrian tossed his gloves off to the side, twiddling his fingers and looking down at them in his lap as he thought about how to go about answering. "Well, I had a dream last night...you know, one of -those- kinds of dreams. It involved me and...and you. I woke up before anything major happened, and that was why I was sitting in the middle of a cave, freezing. Just trying to let the body settle down...I, um, just accounted it as being away from humans for awhile." He rubbed the back of his neck. "The human body tends to kind of adopt whoever's around them for such things. Since there aren't any humans, I..."

"Why didn't you choose the shades though?" The Crawler asked, looking to the human sitting awkwardly beside him. "They're more human than us. If that were the case, than you'd have such dreams regarding them instead." Adrian bit one of the red lips, continuing to avoid eye-contact. "Or are you going to attempt to blame that on something else?"

"I..." The prince's mouth moved, simply up and down as if silently stammering, before he finally went lax against the wall, leaning his head against it. "I don't know why, Crawler, I really don't."

"Do you believe it is merely your mind vying for an excuse for companionship after being denied contact with your species, or do you believe it is something else?"

"I said I don't know."

"I think you do know." The Crawler moved, suddenly in front of him, palms pressing the shoulders against the stone. "Tell us."

"Why is it so important for you to know?"

"Because we want to know! We don't want to be left in the dark not knowing the full answer!" The creature bellowed, eyes narrowing and pushing the human back against the rocks harshly. He earned a wince, and a glare. "Now answer us!"

"I can't tell you anything!"

"Then show us!"

"Fine, you want an answer, I'll give you an answer!" His hands reached up, pressing against the inner arms of the other and pushing them away, and then pushing forward...

The beast had been expecting a blow, a fist or something to hit him. He had figured Adrian was angry from the pushing and would react as such. Perhaps he had pressed him too far, but between little things that the human had done recently, to the dream, it all had made him wonder...but he hadn't expected what he ended up doing. Arms were curled around his chest, dragging him close in an embrace. A nose nuzzled the neck before his cheek rested against the chest. He had expected the older being to push him away, spit insults and curses, or at the very least move away as though he was carrying some contagious disease.

It was the cavern dweller's turn to surprise him when the lithe arms hesitantly lifted, and awkwardly coiled around the man, returning the embrace. "This is certainly an answer." He stated, earning a small laugh from the human in his grasp. "So, coming to this...answer, the next question we suppose we should ask is...why?"

"Why what?" He couldn't see it from his position, but he could tell the multiple eyes were giving an annoyed look. "Oh, the me liking...oh. Well, I don't know either. Perhaps in the time here I've lost my mind, which had me end up developing a crush on a void monster planning on engulfing all of Albion in Darkness. Or...perhaps I realized you weren't as god awful as I originally thought. Maybe you're a breath of fresh air to my otherwise stale oxygen composed of people telling me what I should do, parading me around and forcing me into life-threatening positions so I can take the throne and bend to their wills and give them what they wish. It all comes down to the fact that they want something, and the only way they'll get that something is to get me the crown." He ranted, and let another sigh escape him. "I guess, in a way, you didn't give me much of a choice in the matter either, come to think of it. But after the first few days, you seemed to become more hospitable and interested in at least learning a few little things about me...which is more than I can say for any human I've met since my time in the castle."

"They didn't ask you such things? Were they not even in the slightest bit curious?" It seemed incredulous that, at the very least, they wouldn't inquire about his appearance or -something-.

"No, not really. Those who wanted to know already knew, and those who didn't had their heads shoved so far up their asses planning and preparing that they didn't care to know about the Hero they had. All they knew was that they had a hero, a pawn to move about to get what they wanted..."

"The stupidity and selfishness of the human race will never cease to amaze us." The grip his arms had around the other tightened a little, and he tilted his head , attempting to glance down at the other. "We think you're a fascinating mortal." He earned a murmured 'thank you' against his chest, apparently having embarrassed the other with such a simple comment.

"And, well, there's been a degree of care and concern from you, and you share a similar view of things...so I guess there's logic in it. What about you, hmm? Why are you taking this so well? When did you start noticing things? Do share with the little human what you're feeling and thinking."

"Relief. We daresay we feel relief." The crawler began, a hand moving to idly examine the knotted mess of purple hair atop the other's head. "It's been far too long since we've had the company of someone for longer than a few fleeting minutes or hours. To find a human, a Hero, with a darkness in his heart that we've seen only rarely...we wished to keep you here when we first saw you. At first there was detachment, you either live or die, and it would mean little to us either way, but...as we began to watch you wither, we found ourselves compelled to aid you. That turned into fascination, which we supposed eventually turned into care and attachment. You responded well to it, and we suppose we began to wonder about what you felt sometimes. Was it merely a level of affection given between friends, or was it something else?" Bony fingers twirled around a frizzy strand of hair as he continued. "When the shade put things into such blunt terms, it was a little nerve-rattling...but eye-opening. When we crept away to think, we prepared for whatever scenario might occur when we chose to speak with you."

"Why would you need to prepare?"

"Because we didn't know what you would do and we didn't know what we would end up feeling." The Crawler stated matter-of-factly. "But this was better than we were expecting."

"Well, that's good." Crimson lips curled into a grin, and he asked. "What are your, um...feelings with...this?"

"Affection is a most undeveloped emotion with us, but we think we do care for you. We know we are most certainly...hm...what's the word? Ah, flattered that you care for us even a little." Claws slowly racked through the hair, beginning to gently pull apart knots that had built up in it. "We suppose the greatest question needing an answer would be 'What are we going to do about it'?"

"That's a good question. Well, what are our options?"

"Well, we can either try to shake off said emotions and hope they fade with time or are redirected to someone else...or we can attempt to...continue and see where it goes. There's really no other options."

"Well, the thought of ignore and avoid is unappealing."

"Agreed."

"So, I guess that leaves the only option of seeing where this runs, eh?" He earned a nod, and as he pulled back, he put a hand to his cheek, shaking his head. "Dear lord, I am in a relationship with a void monster. I really must've lost my mind."

"Oh, undoubtedly, you've gone insane." The older figure laughed, pressing him against the stone once again. "But we must be equally insane, so don't worry."

"But you're a creepy creature of the dark, you've got an excuse." Adrian retorted, sticking his tongue out childishly. The crawler mimicked the move, the tips of the two tapered tongues sticking out of the spaces between jagged teeth. The green-eyed one started chuckling, looking away. "I cannot take you seriously like that. Put those tongues of yours away."

"Of course we're not supposed to be taken seriously. But if you wish, we could always find...'other' uses for our tongues." Obsidian eyes narrowed, mouth shifting upward in an expression that made the human quickly look away, bright red appearing on his features. "You blush at the drop of a hat, you know that? For someone as 'evil' as yourself, you certainly have a way of maintaining some amount of innocence."

"Shut up, or I'll rub those horns of yours until you're a purring pile of goo."

"Is that an offer?" The eyebrow ridges rose up and down suggestively, and the purple haired man stammered in search of a reply, before they heard a faint giggling on the other side of the curtain.

"Knew it." The mortal mumbled, thankful for the Children's timely distraction. A disgruntled look dashed along the stony features before he crept over to the curtain and pulled it back, giving a roar loud enough to send the shades flying into the air and crashing to the ground, the sound ricocheting off of the cave walls and causing a rumble and break of a few small stalactites from the ceiling which clattered on the floor nearby. "Oh, don't be mean to them. Come on, Mr. Grumpy Robes. Why don't you, me and the Children play a game of hide and seek, hmm?"

The beast thought about it, and reluctantly shifted his head. "...Alright, but we warn you, you're not going to be able to find us!" He leaped out of the hole, landing on the rocky floor below.

"Hey, that's not fair! Why do I have to be the seeker?"

"Because you suggested it!"

"Crap. Fine!" Adrian's shoulders drooped, and he smacked the wall before covering his face with his hands, and placing it against the wall. "On the count of 15! One, two, three, four..."

...

...

Several games were played, and though the shade side of Adrian did aid him in finding a few of the other dark creatures, he could never find the Crawler or a few select shadow-people. Being as brightly colored as he was, even in the dark he stuck out pretty well, and thus was easier to find than those who were adapted for hiding in the shadows.

It was a busy day, and surprisingly a fun one. It was their way of celebrating and making the most of each other's company. And when night came, the Children, the human and the beast were downright exhausted. When it came time to return to the bed chamber, the cavern-dweller took his usual place...and as he laid his head down and closed his eyes, he felt a body of warmth nudge in next to him. The face on the side of his head opened its eyes to find the male mortal curled up beside him, resting his head against the arm. The serrated mouth gave a faint grin, and they both were dragged away into slumber...

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Adrian? Oh Adrian~?" The voice bounced around in the head of the prince as he began to awake. He realized that was not the voice of the Crawler that he had fallen asleep with. No, that was..."Come on, sleepy head, get up!"

"B...Ben?" Green eyes opened just barely, small slits of emerald visible.

"That's right. Good to see you. Starting to get real worried about you. Thought you were buzzard food for sure." The blonde grinned as he looked down at the prince. "Though, I'd been expecting Walter to be with you."

"Mm-mm...I never saw Walter. When I woke up, I was on the beach alone. Not a hide nor hair of Walter to be seen." He had always been an incredible actor when it came to lying. He had been doing it since before he had even left the castle. "He either washed up somewhere else, or..." There was a stretch of uneasy silence, and Ben cleared his throat.

"Well, I'm sure Walter's somewhere. He's a stubborn old goat, I doubt the water would get him, and I don't think the desert would end him either. We'll...just have to keep looking." There was a weak grin exchanged between the two of them, and the soldier decided to change the subject to brush away the negativity lurking in the air. "But, we did find someone else I think you'll be happy to see again."

A bark broke through the stone building, and next thing the prince knew, he was being slobbered on by one very happy dog. "Mephisto!" He laughed, sitting up and hugging the border collie, seeing the tail wag crazily while he whimpered and whined and continued to lavish his owner with wet kisses. "Okay, okay! I'm happy to see you too, boy." He grabbed the dog's head, shaking it from side to side playfully while keeping him away from his face to prevent him from putting more saliva on his face. He reached up, using one of his sleeves to wipe his face clean.

"Prince, it is good to see you are awake." A female's voice made him turn his head. He thankfully managed to keep his face neutral at the sight of a bald woman. "And I see Ben was the first to see you awaken. He has been extremely worried about you and your friend Walter, more so when your canine companion was found without you."

"But he's fine now, eh?"

"Yes, it appears so." The woman said with seemingly endless calm and an almost monotone voice to match it. "I am Kalin, Prince Adrian, and you are safe, in the city of Aurora." It almost hurt to contain the smirk and the wish to say 'Didn't really seem safe to me when we attacked it the other night'. "I have much to tell you, so if you could please follow me." Adrian nodded, standing up, carefully avoiding stepping on the dog that now kept right on his heels as he followed the woman, with the soldier right behind her. He paid little attention to what either of them had to say, not really caring. Their voices were like flies buzzing in the ear, and already he felt like retreating back to Shadelight.

He wandered the city like he was supposed to, getting a look at it all. The latest attack of the Darkness was plain as day, houses torn apart, blood staining the walls of neighboring houses though those on the ground had long since been flown away. He didn't care to really read any of the memorials, which were mere pieces of paper tacked on places for those who were dead or taken away from them.

They remained there for two more days, looking for Walter...which meant Adrian was acting his ass off pretending he didn't know that the old man was rotting in the cave with a bullet wound in him. Then, everyone had to presume he was dead. Ben didn't want to believe it, but they had a revolution to get underway, and couldn't stick around hoping for a dead man to show. They were soon on a ship, sailing back towards Albion, with the desert island shrinking in the distance. Adrian, finally in clean clothes and with all of his previously confiscated gear returned to him -courtesy of the Crawler before dumping him off to be found by the humans-, leaned against the railing, watching the island as it faded into the distance.

"You ready to lead a revolution and become king, Adrian?" The soldier was beside him, looking over towards the hero who would lead them to battle soon.

A sigh left the pale man, glancing over at the other. "As ready as I'll ever be." He wasn't looking forward to it, but he'd only need a year. Just one year, and Darkness would engulf the world and he wouldn't have to give a rat's ass about these people anymore. Including the one beside him. "Is the ever-mighty soldier, Ben Finn, ready to help me pave the way to snatch the crown from Logan's over-inflated head?"

"Of course I am!" The other man laughed, patting the purple-haired figure on the back. "We'll show him what happens when you mess with a hero and the people of Albion."

Adrian just gave a smile, nodding his head. Faintly, he could hear a voice in his head, one that brought him great comfort, despite the fact it gradually softened the farther they went from Aurora. 'Just grin and bear it, Adrian. Just one year...'

'There might not be anybody left for you to kill by the time you get here.'

And the last thing he could hear fading away was the low laughter echoing in his head.


	6. Chapter 6

The sound of door hinges being torn from the wood of the frame were followed by the crack of wood as the large double doors fell and landed loudly upon the floor. As the ring of metal from a sword attempting to be drawn came, so did the click of a gun, followed by another. Prince Adrian and Ben Finn stood there, a pistol in the yellow gloved hands and a rifle in the soldier's hands. Brown eyes flicked between the two, as if deciding what to do. "So this is how it ends. A traitorous soldier, and the child who ran away." He sheathed the source as he continued. "You've finally become the man I've always wanted you to be."

"He's alot more than that, you crazy bastard." The blonde spat, holstering the rifle. "And I think he's ready to take your place."

"Perhaps the time has come for someone else to lead Albion." The older brother almost seemed to sigh the words, before his dark eyes darted to the soldier as he spoke out.

"You were never a leader, just another tyrant!" Ben added, and Adrian resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he placed the pistol to its rightful spot on his belt. Logan slowly strode towards them, going around the circular map of Albion that stood between them.

"Did it ever occur to either of you that I may have had good reason to be?"

"We're not interested in your reasons." Why the hell was Ben doing the talking for him here, seriously? And why did he use 'we're'? The hero certainly wanted to know Logan's motivations. He frowned as he looked over towards the two other people.

"Cower behind ignorance if you will, but my brother deserves to know the truth." Brown eyes narrowed as the soldier grabbed him by the arm, shaking his head.

"Save it for the trial, Logan. You can beg for your life then." Both brothers spared fleeting glances towards each other, and then Adrian was left alone.

After he was sure they were gone, he whispered faintly under an irritated sigh.

"When the Darkness comes, Ben's getting killed first."

Mephisto whined softly beside him, gently butting his head against the side of his leg, and he didn't hesitate to crouch down, hugging the dog, not caring about the dirt and blood smeared on the both of them from the hell they had gone through trying to get up to the castle to begin with.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

He was going to strangle the Crawler's thin neck for this. For having no choice but to dress in stuffy, uncomfortable clothes with a chunk of metal on his head...for having to deal with yet another person, this time a greedy, annoying wind-bag called Hobson...and, for going back to where he was being ignored, for the most part. He had some say in what happened to people, at least...which was going to piss a whole lot of people off.

He sucked in a breath, straightening himself up to a superior stance, folding his arms behind his hands as he entered through the doorway, walking past the crowd of people on either side of him that cheered at the sight of him. "All stand to attention for the King of Albion." His newest adviser, a strange woman named 'Alluna', stated. Her words hushed the people to whispers, murmurs between people as the purple-haired man took his seat in the throne. Green eyes spared a glance to the people who were considered 'allies', gathered on either side of him, Mephisto loyally laying at his feet. Then his eyes turned to watch as soldiers dragged the dethroned king was dragged in.

People booed and jeered, calling him a murderer and a wretch, flinging insults in his direction. Alluna, a slender woman with peach skin and brunette hair draping down her shoulders, stood clad in silver armor, looking upon the older brother with icy blue eyes. "Logan, former king of Albion, you stand accused today of crimes against the kingdom and its people. Those who brought you to justice will now speak."

The crazy old man, Sabine, took to speaking his mind first. "There isn't a soul alive in the kingdom who hasn't suffered for his glory, and plenty who've died for it." He turned to look at the king. "I says, let him have some death of his own."

Benn chimed in for his statement. "Look, I'm not one for lopping people's heads off, but we saw Major Swift executed like bloody circus act! He deserves nothing less as far as I'm concerned." There was anger in his voice, a clear indication he was set in his belief that Logan needed to die.

"But aren't we better than that?" Paige asked. "Isn't that why we fought to be here now? I've seen what Logan has done to this city. People starving to death, children forced to work...but killing him now won't solve anything."

"It is not my place to decide his fate." Kalin added, her calm edged with the faintest edge of acrimony. "But his betrayal condemned many of my people to death. He promised us salvation and then left us to face the darkness alone."

"I had good reason to break that promise, and I had good reason for the crimes you claim I committed." Logan shook his head slightly as his eyes flicked between all of those who held influence in the choice of whether he lived or died today. "The day I returned to Albion, I received a visit from a blind seer. Theresa, our father's guide." With the mention of their father, his gaze fell upon his younger sibling. "She showed me the future of this kingdom. The darkness is Aurora is coming here, bring death, destruction, the end of our way of life. The sacrifices I had to make, I did them to protect Albion. If a few had to suffer, it was to build an army. If a few had to die, it was to save the country." Sabine and Benn both shook their heads in disgust at his words, but Adrian had an unreadable expression upon his features as he continued to listen, leaning in with his elbows upon his knees and the backs of his gloved hands underneath his chin. "I have spent years preparing for this attack. Let me stand by your side now, and all my soldiers will be yours to command. Let us face the coming darkness...together."

"If this is true, my lord...if it's really coming, then we are all in grave danger." Alluna spoke, turning to look upon the hero. Everyone's eyes were upon him, waiting for his decision.

"You have the power of life and death, brother. Now choose." The black-haired man's head hung, sure he would be facing the latter choice. There was silence for a few fleeting moments, before Adrian sighed, dropping his hands and rising to his feet.

"You will not face your death today, Logan." A collective gasp filled the air. "These people may feel revenge in their hearts, but I do not. I pardon you for your crimes, brother, and hope that you will stand beside me in the time to come to prepare against the oncoming threat."

"The king has made his decision." The adviser announced. "Logan's life will be spared." There was an uproar, not in cheers and applause, but in cruel words and demands for him to reconsider. But Adrian paid them no heed. Emotion arrested Logan's worn features, amazement, relief...for a second it almost seemed like he would've shed tears, though bit them back as the ivory-skinned man made his way towards him.

"Thank you for your mercy, Adrian." His voice was softened, and the hero didn't realize how tired he sounded until now. When Adrian extended a hand, narrow lips tugged upwards in a faint smile as he reached out and took it, shaking. "The castle is yours, and so is the throne. I'm glad to be rid of them."

As cold-hearted as Adrian was to everyone else, he didn't share the same iciness towards his kin. He gave a genuine smile, a rare jewel none of the people behind him had caught glimpse of till now. He would have to pull Logan off to the side at some point and tell him what would happen...and hope that he'd listen and would stand with him.

The rest of the day was spent running errands listed on the 'schedule' given to him by Hobson. Setting the tax policy, going to meet Reaver in Bowerstone Industrial. He had eagerly agreed to send the children back to work, much to Paige's dismay...and she was downright furious when he chose to leave the Old Quarter in ruins. He didn't care though, in fact, he would just give her the most vile smile and practically shoo her away.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Hours turned to days, which turned to weeks, which inevitably turned into months. He had successfully shown each of the ones that forced him into promises to get him an unwanted throne that they'd get nothing. After the first few times of reach decision, he would choose Reaver's side of the argument before they even finished their speech just to shut them up. The Industrialist, of course, enjoyed watching Paige or one of the other nuisances stammer from the sudden cut-off in their heated statements and would spit out their insults and complaints before sulking away like dogs with their tails between their legs. Sabine, Kalin, Paige, Samuel...

The people of Albion realized their biggest mistake by putting him on the throne. He was ten times worse than he brother ever was. He ignored the crowds who'd hiss empty threats to him as he passed, he stepped over the bodies of the starved and the murdered. It was all a matter of tolerating them until the Darkness came. At the very least, the Crawler managed a connection long enough to fit in a few lessons regarding his new form...

"Sire." The voice snapped him out of his trance, lifting his eyes away from the window that overlooked the castle's gardens, which were as dark and gloomy as the new decor within it. Alluna was standing there, books hugged against her breastplate. "You have a visitor waiting for you in the study."

"Who is it?"

"Mr. Reaver, sir. He wished to speak with you about something, but he wouldn't tell me what. I didn't want to remain and push further...I'd rather not be subject to his flirting." She always was the professional one, even with someone like Reaver.

"Didn't even give him an inch in the matter, did you?"

"No, your Highness. I shot him down as politely as possible and walked away."

"Atta girl." Adrian chuckled, before nodding. "I'll go see what he wants. Resume your business, Alluna." She muttered a quick 'Yessir' and headed down the hall. With that, Adrian turned and headed towards the study, wondering what on earth he could possibly want.

Pushing open the double doors, he found the long-lived businessman sitting at the table, sipping tea left by one of the servants. He held it out just at the sound of a click, and didn't seem to flinch as the cup shattered and tea was sent flying in every direction but his own. A single dropped landed on his cheek, and a gloved finger wiped it away as he held the handle, the only remain of what had been a cup. "Tch, I was drinking that." The loss had down nothing to dampen his mood, judging by the smile that hinted on pale lips. "Do you make it a habit to shoot your own tea cups?"

"Only that particular set. Never liked that one." The pistol was twirled and holstered, and the king closed the doors of the study behind him. "Besides, I don't doubt you do the same to your guests." Reaver merely shrugged. "Now, what was it you were wanting to talk about?"

"Oh, I just wanted to chat, see how the King was doing." He took another cup, pouring the steaming tea into it. "You've made yourself quite the social outcast, turned your friends into enemies and all of that...mess." He waved a hand, before stealing a few cubes of sugar and dropping them in, stirring with one of the spoons. "How are your so-called 'friends', anyways?"

"Why do you care, Reaver?"

"Always so suspicious. Tsk, tsk." Gloved hands gently tapped the spoon on the edge and set it down, lifting it up. "I can't check in on a business associate now and then to see how they are?"

"Checking in is a form of kindness, something I don't believe you possess any genuine form of." Venomous green eyes stared at the industrialist on the other side of the table for a few criticizing moments, before he looked down to fix his own cup. "If you must know, my 'friends' are refusing to talk to me. Especially Paige. She's absolutely furious."

"The dark-skinned little rebel, right? Such a firecracker...I'm sure she'd settle down if she had a master of the carnal arts in her bedchamber-" A laugh left the immortal as Adrian visibly shuddered from the mere mention of it. "What's the matter, embarrassed?"

"Ugh, more like sick to my stomach."

"That's right, your preferences swing towards the male variety." A smirk quirked upon his lips as they paused at the edge of the tea cup. "Though you could've fooled me with that lovely little brunette in the armor."

"She's my adviser, nothing more. She told me you had attempted to flirt with her."

"I was being flattering. I'm sure I'll convince her one way or another. I always do." After a quick sip, he lowered the cup onto its accompanying saucer and chose to redirect back to the original topic. "What about your other friends?"

"What other friends-"

"Don't act dull, it's not befitting one such as yourself." There was an actual brief moment of seriousness before he returned to his light, uncaring attitude. "I mean the ones you made in Aurora." Adrian seemed to freeze in place, cup held tightly in his gloved hands.

"Are you talking about the friends I think you are talking about?"

"The ones you so easily handed over all of Albion to, in exchange for becoming part of their ranks?"

"Yes, that's the one." The hero's voice had lost its strength, and eyes warily crept up to meet the chocolate brown pair belonging to the old Hero of Skill. "How did you-"

"I have my sources of information." The royal still seemed frozen. "Only I know, so don't get that purple hair of yours in a knot."Adrian reluctantly relaxed enough to set the cup down, determining he wasn't very thirsty anymore. "I want to make sure your little 'friends' aren't going to bother mine."

"The...Shadow Court, if what I've read around is true?" He earned a faint hum to prove he was correct. "Well why would they bother yours?"

"If the Darkness is going to wipe most of the population off of this planet, well," He laughed. "It's going to make it hard for me to keep my end of the bargain with them. Which is something I'm not planning on facing anytime soon."

"It's not like the human race is being completely obliterated. Merely...thinned out."

"Be that as it may, you and these...shadow beasts or whatever they are are going to put a strain on the availability of gifts to hand over to them. So-"

"You want me to be able to hand someone over every once in awhile to keep things well." Adrian stated, knowing very well which direction it was headed.

"It's terribly rude to interrupt." There was a pinch of annoyance to his voice, which was shrugged off relatively easily. "But you're quick to catch on. I like that."

Adrian ignored his flattery, sighing as a hand reached up and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "How often do you need them?"

"Once every century."

"I'll be dead by then."

"Au contraire, the Darkness has its own rewards. You didn't really think it'd simply let a Hero live and die with the wretched thing called 'mortality', hmm?" He finished his tea and set it aside. "You give it too little credit."

"Hmm...so I just hand over someone every hundred years? And what do I get out of the deal?"

Reaver cocked his head to the side, a hand tucking underneath his chin in thought. "You know, human soldiers don't seem to strike fear into the hearts of your people, and the shades...well, if I've seen any of their summoned counterparts during my days, they're little more than cannon fodder." His mouth quirked into his ever-familiar smirk. "What if I direct you to something more...fearsome?"

"Such as?"

"Dear boy, remember my party? The grand masquerade?"

"How could I forget being stuck in an arena of death, battling beasts, bandits and other nasties for your amusement?"

"Yes, it was a fun time, terribly so. We'll have to do it again some day..." He paused. "Anyways, I was referring to my 'guests'. There's plenty more of them in Silverpines, ones that don't or can't change back into their human forms. I'm finding them dull company nowadays...especially given the constant shedding and drooling that makes them all around unpleasant to be with." The smile changed to a slight frown of disgust. "Any chance you want them in exchange?"

"If you can secure a deal with them to ally with me, then I suppose I can take that offer." He knew he'd probably regret it, but he wasn't in the mood to sit around negotiating and bothering with offers and counter-offers. Besides, perhaps he could use those...nothing like making things go to hell than unleashing Balverines on the citizens of Albion.

"That's the spirit. I'll get things moving, and within the week you'll have vicious guard-Balverines to do your bidding. I almost think you've gotten the better deal."

"That's a bold-faced lie." He earned only an entertained chuckle as the dark-haired man rose up to his feet, boots clicking as he grabbed the cane leaning against the table, tapping it on the floor.

"Tatty-bye, Adrian. I'll call for you when the time comes to hold up your end of the deal." He began to head towards the room's exit. Adrian didn't bother to turn to face him, only murmuring a faint 'Goodbye, Reaver'. He stopped at the sound of a click, and turned his head away as the cup exploded into flying shrapnel. "Oh, and that makes us even." With that, he pushed the doors open and strolled out, leaving the hero to look down at the remains of his cup.

"Bastard."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes: Hello, folks. Before I get to warnings, I would just like to thank everyone who's reviewed or read the story so far. Thank you very much for taking a look at my story. :3

Alright, now to the warnings. Things will be getting lemony in this chapter. That means sex. There will be a warning when that starts, and you can feel free to skip over it if you wish.

Sorry it took so long, it's a biiig chapter, and life tends to screw up your writing schedule, sometimes.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Have you gone mad? BALVERINES?"

T'was another glorious week in the castle, and Reaver had made good on his deal...which surprised Adrian, given the man's tendency to stab people in the back. But, he supposed it made sense, since it secured the future of his immortality. So, here he was, standing in the courtyard with man...MANY balverines around him, and even more were crawling about the gardens.

"And what's the matter with Balverines? I think they're rather cute, in a creepy kind of way." The king patted one of said beasts on the side, earning a soft, pleased grunt from it in return.

"Oh, I don't know. The fact they're man-eating monsters might be what's the matter!" Ben's arms gestured to the thick-haired creatures. "You've completely lost your mind."

"Yes, perhaps I have. But, when I last checked, I'm the one wearing the crown, so deal with it." He looked towards the balverine at his side, putting a finger to his lips in thought. "Hmm...I'm going to have to get you guys collars or name tags or something, figure out who's who..." He murmured thoughtfully, obviously ignoring the soldier's rambling and ranting. "Alluna!"

"Y-yes sir?" The brunette inquired as she stepped out, eying the once-human beasts warily.

"Don't look them directly in the eye, firstly. Secondly, start rounding up names and then get an order set up with the blacksmith in bowerstone about making wrist-cuffs...alot of them. "

"How on earth am I suppose to do that?" She asked exasperatedly.

"Have them write or go through a book or something. I'm sure you'll figure it out." He then glanced towards Ben. "Come on, we've got to check on Logan and make sure he's handling the workload I gave him."

As he left her to it, heading inside, and Ben followed him in...her hands slowly fell as the snarling, drooling balverines turned their attention to her.

"I need to get a better job."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Since nothing further needed be done, after sorting things out by late afternoon and having the rest of the day free, Adrian locked himself away in the castle's catacombs.

"Ah, damn it!" He screeched at yet another harsh and clumsy landing, dirt and pebbles flying in every direction. His face contorted into an expression of soreness as he dragged himself onto his hands and knees, and then up onto his feet. Flying was difficult. Alot more than he had imagined. The Crawler hadn't yet gotten to the lesson, which was one of the things he had been pining for. So far, most of the teachings had been focused on harmonizing himself with the darkness within and learning how to handle the overwhelmingly stronger senses or practice a thing called 'anger-control'. He could understand the need for those. More often than not he still had to bite back his darker side to prevent him from going completely ballistic on some of the people in court, and to those he had played hero for.

Large crimson and black wings stretched out again, and again he attempted to master flight...only to fail yet again. "Ow..." He mumbled, collapsing upon the floor, wings fluttering clumsily on his back before they curled up against his back. "Flying hurts."

"That's because you're not doing it right." For a brief second, Adrian panicked, thinking he had been caught...until he looked up. "Did you miss us?"

"Crawler!" The poor creature was practically knocked off of his feet as the prince rushed up to his feet and tackled him, arms wrapping around his hunched frame. "What took you so long to visit? I've been going insane dealing with these...these people!"

"Well, we're here now." Slender arms returned the gesture, laughing as he looked down at the purple-haired king. "It is good to actually see you again. So, you've been trying to learn how to fly?"

"Failing to learn, more like it."

"Well, let us show you how to do it the right way." He nudged the man to let go of him and turn around so his back was to him. "Firstly, stretch your wings out all the way." Bony fingers pressed against the feathery appendages as they reached out. "To learn to run, you must first learn how to walk. So, repeat these movements." He gripped the edges of the wings, and began to slowly push them down, and pull them up, mimicking the motion of flapping. Adrian did as was told and repeated what was done. The Crawler circled around to his front. "Now, bring them down harder, and increase the speed a little."

"Now kick off of the ground, but do not lean in any direction. Just remain straight." Adrian leapt off of the ground as the wings beat, to find himself...hovering. "Now slowly ease forward, and start experimenting with speed and movement."

"How do you know how to teach someone how to fly?" Adrian asked as he leaned forward, finding himself, for once, actually doing something considered -flying-, not falling.

"The Children are winged creatures. Their wings can grow a bit bigger and they can fly. But they do not automatically know it. It must be taught...so we have done alot of teaching over the years."

"I've never seen them fly."

"They tend to prefer keeping on a solid surface. They'll fly on an 'as-needed' basis." Onyx eyes watched as the king worked with the wings, learning how to turn and move with the appendages humans only dreamed of having. It didn't take long for the shadowy form to make its appearance, and the shade took a more...adventurous approach to flying. He would scurry along the rocks and leap off, swooping and attacking poor bats that happened to be flapping by. "We believe you're getting the hang of it." He wasn't a master of it, by any means. His turns were still clumsy, and he did get a little tangled up with the large wings, but it was better than how he was doing earlier.

"This is fun~." Adrian spoke in a dual-toned voice, one of his own voice and another of the shade. As he hopped down, he realized -a little too late- that he didn't realize how to land. "Mayday, mayday!" He dove down, tumbling along the ground and ending up knocking the Crawler down onto the floor. "Oww, ow...ow...fuck..." He winced, looking down at the poor ancient beast he now rested upon. "Sorry..."

"Note to self: We need to work on teaching you how to land." The Crawler groaned, looking up at the king as he returned to his pale-skinned human form. "Good work though."

"Thank you for the help." Adrian smiled, apparently not quite in a hurry to get up off of him. "Are you alright?"

"We'll live."

"So...what brings you around?"

"A visit. We thought you'd want a little company you'd actually enjoy."

"Well, I'm glad you came to visit. I want to show you some of the good things about being a human ruler." He said as he sprang up onto his feet, dragging the old cave-dweller up with him.

"How exactly are we going to do that? We can't exactly just waltz in there." The Crawler gave the man a questioning look, a grin answering him as he felt hands tug on his own longer-fingered ones.

"Do your little invisibility trick. I'll take to you through our mental link...I think the first thing I can show you is actual food. It's just about dinner time, and I can have them bring it up to my room. You'll be big and fat by the time we're done, or my name isn't Adrian."

The hero eagerly led the way, even despite being unable to really see his companion. He was like a child showing an adult his toys in hopes that he'll impress them. The large stone building did earn the Crawler's fascination as they made their way through it. It was so unnatural, so...artificial. Yet the dim lighting and grim red and dark wooded coloring made him feel almost at home. Adrian passed through the kitchen to tell the servants that he would be eating up in his room tonight, and not a complaint was uttered.

By the time they got to his bedroom after the tour, the food was sitting there waiting for them. Adrian locked the door behind them, and pulled the thick curtains over the windows. Finally, the leader of the Darkness returned to visibility, sniffing at the air. "What is that?"

Adrian plucked off the crown from his head and set it on a nightstand, peeling his gloves off as well to join it. "This would be...chicken." He gestured to the poultry, roasted and sitting on a platter to look as beautiful as any turkey would look. "And this is corn, and that's potatoes that are mashed up, we call it mashed potatoes...and that's green beans." It was like a miniature feast. They always gave him a huge amount of food...which he supposed was their way of saying he looked a little -too- thin for their tastes. "Come here." He wheeled the small cart over to the bed and plopped down, patting the space beside him. The ancient figure was soon beside him, curiously peering at the food. Obviously, his diet held little more than the little winged mammals or whatever else could be lurking in caves. He cut off a piece of the chicken and held it out to the other. "Now try this."

The pointed tips of the bony fingers plucked the piece of white meat away and held it up to examine it. "Go on." Adrian urged, and watched intently as it was hesitantly placed in the mouth. But a large grin was plastered on the human's face at the look that swept over the stone-like features. "Told you you'd like it. If there's one thing I am thankful humans can do, it's cook food."

"Can we please have more?" Claws gripped his arm as though it was a life-line, and Adrian just laughed and nodded.

"Hold on, hold on. Let me cut it up. Don't eat too much..." You'd think the cave-dweller never ate, if the voracious appetite that followed was any sign. Adrian did eat along with him, but not near the amount he did. He ate till he was full, and the Crawler, well...he ate a little too much past his limit. By the time the chicken was stripped to its bones, and the bowls of food were empty and overturned, Adrian was sitting beside the creature as he laid on the bed. His hands were currently rubbing the stomach, which was no longer thin but decently distended. The Crawler was groaning, resting on his side and curling into a ball. "I told you not to eat too much. This is what happens."

"We're never eating again..." He whined pathetically, and the human just smiled faintly as he continued to gently massage the poor abdomen.

"Good things in moderation, Crawler. I'm sure you learned that with the food, right?" The spiky head nodded. "Good. Well...I think I have something in mind for you that'll settle the stomachache. Come on, up on your feet." He had to pull a very reluctant void monster off of the bed. "God, you're heavier than you look." Adrian murmured as he finally got him on his spiky feet again. "Now disappear again, and follow me."

He led him to a room reserved just for the ruler of Albion. As he locked the door behind them, the Crawler reappeared, multiple sets of eyes inspecting the room. "What is this room?"

"This...is the royal bathroom." Adrian replied, arms spreading out to gesture to the entire room around them. Unlike the rest of the building, this room was warm and bright. The walls were a light muted yellow in the form of stone tiles, the floors a dark brown marble. Everything seemed so...rich. "Benefit of being the king is that you get to bathe on a regular basis. Which is good for you, because baths help ease the pain of stomachaches." He stepped to the large tub made of cream-colored stone, ands he turned the handles and watched as water began to pour out of the faucet on the side, he did a quick temperature check and away. Instead, he went to a large closet in the wall off to the side, and returned briefly to pour some sort of liquid into the slowly filling tub before returning it to the closet. He came back with a few towels, and set them off to the side of the tub. "Have you ever taken a bath before?"

The Crawler shook his head. "Not like how humans do it. A simple douse in water normally proved sufficient."

"No soap?" Another shake of the head. "Well, since you're getting one, come pick out which one you want to use." He took one of the long hands and guided him to the closet. It had many shelves, each with cleaning materials or things needed for baths or toiletries or such things. He was led to the shelf with the scented soaps, and after a few moments of smelling them, decided on a simple one that smelled of lilacs. After the human grabbed a few more things, he was then pulled back out, and Adrian watched the water until he deemed it sufficient height and shut it off. Strange foamy mounds were floating in the water, and the Crawler peered over the edge at them in wonder. "Those are bubbles, dear Crawler. Don't worry, they don't bite." To make his point, the pale man scooped some up in his hands and held it out for him to touch. Spidery fingers poked at the mound, watching as they clung to his finger or popped. A small chuckle left him as he continued to poke them until they were gone.

"How odd."

"I thought you'd get a kick out of them. Now, let's get you out of this robe." Adrian grabbed the edges of it, and received a frown of resistance from the older being. "Oh, don't you give that look. It's not like you're wearing this to hide anything like us humans have to." He reluctantly parted with it, watching as it was folded and set aside. Adrian took the opportunity to actually -look- at the void monster in front of him. Thin arms, thin legs, that strange ribbed chest, bony hips where the pelvis' shape was visible, the hunched back with odd holes in it...As red-clawed fingers touched the back, about to ask, he reeled his hand away as curved spikes jutted out from the openings. "What-"

"Defensive, it's a reflex." The Crawler mumbled, jagged mouth giving a weak smile. Obviously, he wasn't comfortable.

"Oh...well then, let's do a quick rinse off before you get in the tub. Get the dust and everything loosened up before you hop in there." A bucket was pulled out, filled with water...and then the cave-dweller was promptly drenched. Water slid away into a drain in the floor, dirty just from a mere -rinse-. A few buckets later, and he was cleared to enter the water. However, just because he could, didn't mean he was in any hurry. "What's the matter?" The king inquired, and was given this look that said everything. "Is the big bad Crawler...afraid? To get in the water?" He wasn't given an answer, obviously. "Well, what do you want me to do? Get in with you?"

"Pleeeease?" The beast pleaded, doing his best attempt at the notorious 'puppy-dog eyes'.

"No, no, nooo, nooooo. That offer was made jokingly, I didn't- Now don't look at me like that- Come on, puppy dog eyes shouldn't work for a freaky-ass monster like you!" Adrian was quickly crumbling, and soon his shoulders sagged, and his head rolled back in a reluctant groan. "Fiiiine. I've got to undress first. Cover your eyes though, and don't peek." The Crawler did his best to cover his many eyes, closing whichever ones he couldn't. That didn't necessarily mean he -didn't- peek, however. "I said no peeking!" A towel whapped him in the head, draping over it so it constrained his view. By the time he pulled it off, the hero had finished undressing and had retreated into the steaming water. The bubbles concealed everything at stomach level or below, obstructing his view of the ivory skinned man. It was disappointing, but...well, the bubbles couldn't last forever, could they?

He stepped in, helped by the little hero of whom he had grown so fond of. As he sunk down into the warm water, surrounded by suds, an involuntary sigh left him. His stomach still hurt, but the water was slowly starting to work its wonders on it. At the very least, it was helping to take his mind off of it. "Not so bad, is it?" White arms wrapped around him in a backwards hug, maneuvering so he wasn't on the receiving ends of the sharpened spikes sticking out of the back. The cave-dweller shook his head, notably sluggish. Adrian smiled, easing away from him long enough to grab the soap left on the edge of the tub, and after running it over the length of the curved, prominent spine of the beast, handed it over for the other to hold. The void monster was confused for a few fleeting moments until he felt the clawed fingers pressing into the back.

"Oh dear...darkness..." He slumped forward, eyes lidding partially, able to register the purple-haired person's giggling as his fingers moved to work the soap into a lather, while at the same time pushing and digging into the muscles hidden under the leather-esque skin, easing the tension out of them. "What are you doing...?"

"Showing you another one of the wonderful things humans invented: Massages." He was in a delightfully good mood, eager to please the other and show him how much of a positive experience the whole thing could be. "When you get stressed, your muscles start tensing up. It can keep building and building...one of the ways you can help relieve it is by doing this."

"How is a hero and a royal so knowledgeable about this?"

"I used to have it done for me when I was still a prince living in this castle, after a rough week or two of training. I learned from that." He could hear that droning 'purr' leaving him. "For a fearsome leader of the darkness, you're really not all that fearsome once someone gets to know you. I think you're just plain adorable." He hummed in response, apparently too content and distracted with the heavenly fingers that kneaded and rubbed the back to form a worded reply. Hands cupped together to gather water and spill it down the back, washing it all away. Adrian slowly began to move upwards, rubbing the shoulders and arms, the neck, and when he got to the horns, he was slumped over and growling contently.

0o0o...o0o0

Smexing stuff starts right about here.

0o0o...o0o0

When he touched one of the spikes emerging from the back, he began to squirm. He didn't hear anything that suggested he was in pain, and he still purred, so he thought it was a positive reaction. And it was for awhile, until he heard something akin to a raspy whimper. "Adrian, s-stop."

"Why? I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No..."

"Well then, why should I stop?" An impish grin pulled at the red lips. "Are you just embarrassed because I'm making you purr and look cute?"

"Adrian, if you don't stop, we'll make you stop."

"Then do it." Faster than he could say 'Crap', he found himself pushed back, pinned against the side of the tub by his lower arms. The normally calm and content composure of the figure before him was gone, breaths coming out in shaking pants as all of his eyes focused on him. The human struggled for a moment in his grasp, about to tell him 'Fine, now let me go'...until he felt something brush against him in the water. He immediately halted and blinked, looking downwards. Even though there were bubbles in the way..."Oh..." His cheeks immediately darkened. "You could've made it clearer as to -why- you wanted me to stop." He murmured.

"Shouldn't have mattered, if we told you to stop." The Crawler growled faintly, before demanding. "Open your mouth, and close your eyes."

"Why? Wait, you're not planning to-"

"Just do it." The hero did what he was told, closing his eyes and opening his mouth. Lithe fingers let go of one of the arms, reaching up to instead cover the eyes. Adrian started as something warm, smooth and slippery entered his mouth. The mind had to play a guessing game to figure out what it was, but came to the conclusion that it was one of the twin tongues the void creature possessed. However, it oozed a fluid as it slid farther down his throat, giving him little choice but to swallow it. He could feel the sharp teeth against his mouth as he pressed close, the free arm hooking around his waist and pulling him closer. The more that strange liquid poured into his mouth, the warmer everything seemed to feel. His skin tingled and itched, his heart felt as though it would leap from his chest with how hard it was hammering...and as the long appendage returned to Crawler's mouth and he removed his hand, he found everything to be swaying ever so slightly.

"D...Did you drug me?" Adrian blinked slowly, trying to stop his surroundings from being so dizzying.

"Drugging isn't really the proper term. We think of it more as...envenomating."

"What does it do? It's...not going to kill me, is it?"

"Oh, no. We wouldn't kill you." He practically purred. "It does something else entirely." And it didn't take much longer for it to become very prominent what it did.

"Y-you fed me an aphrodisiac! You...you bastard!" He was a little miffed, but more embarrassed. "You know, if you wanted revenge, you could've knocked me out of the tub or-or-" He was cut off as the serrated mouth was pressed against his neck, gently digging into the blank canvas he called 'skin'. "I'm trying to be mad at you, d-damn it.." He reached up, placing a hand on the being's skull, though didn't push him away.

"And we're trying to make you -not- mad at us." The Crawler added, the set of eyes on the left of his face glancing up towards him. Warm breath ghosted over the flesh, and Adrian gave an audible whimper, subconsciously tilting his head to the side to expose the neck even more. "Have you ever been with anyone before, Adrian?" There was an almost frantic way that he shook his head. "We thought so. Is...is it alright if we...?"

"A little late for asking, isn't it?" The hero laughed, though it was riddled with a nervousness. However, he did give the go ahead with a faint nod, and with an arm still wrapped around him, he was pulled back towards the more shallow end of the tub. The cave-dweller sat down, gently bringing the purple-haired hero down to sit in his lap. His cheeks grew even darker, if it was possible, and claws gently brushed over his cheeks. "It's okay, no need to be frightened." The older being cooed, teeth nipping lightly at the skin of his neck and trailing up to press against the tinted skin in the closest attempts of 'kisses' he could do. He was somewhat limited in the human gestures of affection, given the fact he had no lips...

Adrian's hands shook as he reached out, touching the prominent ribs of the chest. "That's right...we're not going to bite...much." The venom coursing through his veins prompted him to be bolder, to take the courage he, as a hero, was supposed to have. He mimicked what had been done to his own neck, kissing the leathery skin stretched upon the thin neck. The Crawler eased his head to the side, encouraging him while his own hands wandered over the hairless body. The drug eased the mortal into a sense of trust, relaxing and enjoying each touch. He could trust Crawler...he was the only one he really -could- trust, especially in such a way. As claws bit into white skin, leaving angry red marks in their wake, Adrian's back arched so sinuously against him, groaning loudly.

"Crawler..." His name made excited shivers roll down the protruding spine. With Adrian so close, bony hands suddenly gripped the sides of his hips and dragged it closer as bony hips shifted upwards. A sharp gasp rolled from the man's blood-colored lips as arcs of electricity surged from the action. Emerald eyes practically rolled back into his head, his own red nails scratching at the darker skin and reached around to rub the back spikes which were the start of their current situation. The response was more bucking from the larger set of hips, which in turn earned the most intoxicating symphony of noises from the king.

Black and red fluid was soon mingling in the water, blood sprung from scratches and bites left from overeager hands and sets of teeth. Their mouths, different as they were, pressed together, the long twin tongues battling with Adrian's much smaller one. Hips ground against each other with increased fervor, panting and raspy breaths joined with groans and growls...

"Crawler, I-I want to try something." He was little more than a writhing mass on the cave-dweller's lap, only barely able to focus to form a coherent reply. The larger hands gestured to do as he wished, and ebony eyes followed the ivory-fleshed man as he slid off of the lap, and pushed him so his back was against the side of the tub. Spike-ending legs were spread apart, Adrian's hands resting on the thighs while he lowered down until he was eye-level with the not-so-little problem. If the void creature's appearance wasn't enough to say their species' were very different, then it was definitely confirmed when you got down to the reproductive organs. Same basic location and build...but with some noticeable differences and modifications. It appeared to come out of a slit that was normally blended into the rest of the skin around it so it wasn't all that noticeable, and had no external testicles. Fleshy ridges ran down the underside, and soft bendable barbs encircled the head like a crown. Not to mention it was...well, large. A look from the human made the teeth curl into a smirk.

"We thought you'd have figured out by now that we're built a little differently than a human being. Now, are you going to do something, or are you just going to stare at it?"

"S-Shut up, or I won't be able to do anything." A splash of water made the beast snort, shaking his head to get it off of him. The instant that shockingly pink tongue hit the tip, a low, slow groan reverberated in his throat, spidery fingers moving to entangle themselves in the silky amethyst hair. Taking it as encouragement, soft lips pressed against the tip, slowly engulfing the head and working his way further down. How erotic the sight was, to see the king of Albion sitting between his legs, his length slowly disappearing inside the mouth. He would jerk back a tad whenever his gag reflex would get the better of him. But the claws gently raking through his hair and pleasantly scraping over the scalp made him try again, working past it. What he lacked in experience, he certainly made up for in enthusiasm, and a desire to please.

"C-Careful, Adrian...you don't have to-" Any protests that might've been made by the older being was silenced as the man hummed, sending vibrations that made the large mouth hang open, before his head craned back, eyes closing. The hero was stubborn, finally managing to slide down most of the way and was now experimentally bobbing from the crowned head and back down, and his efforts were rewarded with such wonderful, inhuman sounds. Claws were entangled in the hair, digging into the skin, and glowing green eyes looked up, locking stares with a set of onyx orbs. The latter pair squeezed closed, finding the sight was becoming too much to bear. "Pause for a second." Adrian hummed inquisitively as he looked up at him, freeing the unusual appendage from the confines of his mouth. "On your hands and knees." It was more of a command then a request, showing he was very eager to continue -as if a look towards the saliva-coated cock wasn't evidence wasn't enough-.

The hero obeyed, soon resting on his palms and knees, watching as the leader of the darkness rose up to his knees and bowed, ribs and the slightly swollen stomach pressed against the back as he leaned over him. Fingers dug into his sides, blood springing up as sharpened ends pressed into the ghostly white skin, causing the man beneath him to whimper. "Resume what you were doing." Confused of what the darkness-bringer had in mind, he hesitantly returned to the task that had been interrupted. He could tell it was taking alot of willpower to resist the urge to buck his hips up into the warm, wet cavern that surrounded the aching organ. The green-eyed hero could feel each throb of a quick-beating heart...and he could feel something else too, that if he had the ability to gasp, he would've.

Those horrible...damnable tongues, and those skeletal hands. The bony digits had changed places, one now planted on either of his ass cheeks, smearing red gained from their clinging to his sides. They had pulled them apart, the long twin organs rolling over his entrance. "Mmf..." The king was thankful he was facing away from him, able to easily hide his embarrassment. He knew what he was doing...he wasn't completely naive in such manners. Especially given that he was acquaintances/business associates with Albion's playboy, Reaver.

He squirmed as they pressed into him, slick and twisting as they wriggled their way in. It felt...odd. That was the only way he could honestly describe how it felt at the moment. In a good way, though. As they slid deeper, grazing the inner walls, he found himself squirming again...though in a completely different way this time. They would coil together and slide nearly all the way out, only to quickly rush back in, pulling muffled groans from the human with each thrust. That, in turn, made vibrations, which made the Crawler grunt as lean muscles on an even leaner frame tensed as he struggled to restrain himself. When slender hips rolled back to meet the movements at the tongue, he figured he was as prepared as he could get him. He pulled back, tugging the smaller hero to pull him off of him...with great reluctance, one could note.

"Crawler, could we...um...continue this outside of the tub? It's getting cold, and I'm getting all pruney..." Adrian asked as the large creature returned to a sitting position. After being given a move of the head, he crawled away long enough to flick a switch on the side of the tub that pulled a cork underneath the drain out of the way, draining the chilly water away. They dragged themselves over the edge of the tub, the towels that were grabbed earlier unfolded and laid upon the floor, with Adrian stretched out atop them. The hunched beast was above him, lower legs folded to rest on either side of the white legs. The spike-crowned head tilted to the side as he gazed down at him, wandering over to examine the body and his handiwork.

Adrian's face was flushed, eyes glossy from lust, damp violet hair spread out in a curly halo around his head, breath coming out in anxious pants. The once blank canvas of ivory skin was now littered with crimson scrapes and equally red smears of blood, some of it diluted and about washed away from the time in the water. His penis was standing straight up, throbbing and twitching and drooling from neglect. It was a beautiful picture, one that would be tucked away in a dark corner of his mind to be remembered and savored for a long time to come. Spidery digits brushed a strand of purple hair away from the face, and lightly touched the edge of the jaw. "You are a beautiful human, Adrian."

"You're just saying that."

"No, we're not." He leaned down, inches from the royal's face. "We mean it." Ebony eyes became half-lidded, and he smiled, and then continued to gaze upon him. He wanted it to remain the way they were now, together, even if they were surrounded by darkness and death and destruction when the time came to devour Albion with his ever-growing army. Perhaps it was a lack of true companionship in his lengthy life-span, or perhaps it was because the hero was unique. A diamond standing out among the dull stone called 'humanity'. He had unknowingly become an addiction, something that the void creature found himself vying for after his departure. The Children paled in comparison to his company. They could not share his sense of humor, his points of views, his sarcasm and endless questioning...they could not look away, blushing furiously and tripping over his own words, or the tenderness he had displayed that one day that seemed so long ago, and today. "Are you sure you wish to continue?"

Adrian could see emotion in those bottomless eyes. Care, anxiety, that unending patience...his arms wrapped around the neck, sitting up enough to offer a hug. "You know, you're supposed to be this vile, malevolent creature trying to kill everyone, not some caring, gentle thing..." He grinned tenderly. "This is abnormal, you know. I mean, we're together...but we've only -been- together for a couple days, when you think about it." He mumbled. "But, this thing we have is an exception to the word 'normal' as it ...it's probably going to be awhile since I see you again...I don't want to let the opportunity slip by."

"It's going to hurt at first."

"I figured as much."

Claws lifted his hips up, aligning him. "Just relax." He sighed, trying to do as was told. Eyes closed, breathing out a sigh...however, his relaxed state was quickly interrupted as pain surged through him. What was penetrating him was much bigger than the tongues, and one of the long-fingered hands had to clap over his mouth to prevent him from becoming too loud as he voiced out what he was feeling. Adrian hadn't expected it to hurt -that- much. It hurt worse than any wound a blade or gun had given him, feeling as though the other was splitting him apart. "Shh, shh, shh..." He had halted quickly, allowing him to grow accustomed to what was already within him before going any farther. "Relax, relax...it'll be okay."

"Just finish getting in, Crawler." The human hissed between gritted teeth as he moved his hand away briefly. He'd rather take the pain altogether then have to experience wave after wave. He silenced any arguing with a stern glare from those venomous emerald eyes. The hand returned to hush him as he resumed. He bore it, brought minimal comfort by the 'pecks' placed against his neck, and it seemed like forever had passed when the larger being was sheathed completely in him. "I...am going to kick your ass." It was just a comment made from pain, he knew that.

"Just settle down, Adrian." The Crawler grumbled. A few long passing moments rolled by, before the hero finally gave the signal to move. Before he did, however, two bony fingers forced the other mouth open again, and subjected him to another round of the lust-inducing venom. He gave enough to make those green eyes' pupils dilate, and practically erase his ability to feel pain for the time being. His breathing was near-hyperventilating as arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"For the love of the darkness, Crawler, move." His voice shook as he pleaded desperately.

"Gladly."

If anyone were to somehow unlock the door and find their way in just a little while later, they would be stunned into silence -or possibly an early grave- at the sight before them. Entangled with the enemy on the floor, eagerly meeting every thrust of the hips, limbs coiled around the larger body as though it was a life-line. The moans and cries were as intoxicating as any amount of alcohol, and bounded an rebounded off the walls in the room...it would be any wonder if the servants passing by -didn't- hear him. He had fully, and happily, succumbed to the venom, not an ounce of pain registering in his system. Just pure, unending pleasure, all coming from the void creature above him. Every beg to go harder, faster, anything was answered. Even in the state he was in, he found himself surprised at the state the leader of the darkness was in now.

Any single thread of the word 'composure' had been unraveled. He was bestial, primal...claws scraped at his hips or along the flesh, the sharp teeth gripping his neck in a loose hold, just enough where their points pressed lightly against the skin. His tongues rolled over the sensitive neck, and deep growls and groans vibrated against the throat as the smaller human hands would brush over back spikes or one of the many that made up the 'crown' upon his head.

Neither of them could last long...and though part of them wanted to make it last, the sides that wanted release overrode them. Each thrust became a powerful drive towards release, the barbs and ridges scraping the inner walls so blissfully, and one of the human's hands desperately pumped himself. With one slam into that wonderful bundle of nerves, Adrian's body arched and a hand had to hush his scream of the cave-dweller's name to avoid panicking the staff, believing he was in pain, and have them do something stupid like bust down the door. Just two thrusts, and the Crawler buried himself into the tightening passage, teeth moving to sink into the flesh of the shoulder with a bestial moan running past him. Hips rolled slowly as he basked in the afterglow, and he finally loosened his jaws and leaned back, tongues capturing the beads of red that rolled down his chin, and he glanced towards the king.

He was unconscious, blacked out after the intensity of it wall. He only softly hummed or shifted as he was cleaned or moved. After the Crawler made sure the royal's clothes and the towels were put in the hamper, his robe was back on his form and everything else was where it needed to be, he scooped the man up and unlocked the door, and then disappeared with him...

0o0o...o0o0

Smexing stuff stops here.

0o0o...o0o0

Green eyes groggily opened, and he immediately realized he was not in the bathroom. A sheet-covered mattress was beneath him, with warm blankets above him and a pillow somewhere near him. "Mm..." He immediately inched towards the radiating warmth, and curled his arms around it, knowing very well who it was. "What happened?"

"You passed out. Not to worry, we cleaned up the 'crime scene' and teleported back here." Sharp fingers gently raked through the still damp violet hair, and Adrian closed his eyes contently.

"Thank you...that was amazing." He paused, cracking open an eye and looking up at the all-too-smug look on the stone-esque facial features. "Don't start letting that go to your head."

"Why not? We should have the right to be proud." He received a slight swat to his stomach, and he nudged the smaller head as he plucked a bottle up off of the nightstand. "By the way, we should advise you drink this."

"A health potion, why?"

"Otherwise you're going to not even want to crawl out of bed tomorrow." The man sluggishly sat up and took the bottle, uncorking it and draining it, and cringing at the taste. They had tried to make it taste like a mix of wild berries, but so far had not succeeded. It just tasted nasty. He emptied it and handed it back, and laid back down. He was pulled close by one of the arms. The Crawler couldn't really lay on his back, so he was more on his side...which didn't bother the hero at all, as he curled up beside him.

"You're going tomorrow, aren't you?"

"...Yes, unfortunately. We cannot stay tomorrow." Arms that wrapped around him squeezed, as if making sure he wasn't going to leave. "We will remain here into dawn first breaks, alright?" A disappointed sigh left Adrian, but he nodded as he nuzzled the ribbed chest.

"Crawler, I have a question, since I'm not sure when I'll see you next..."

"Yes?"

"How would you feel if I...told Logan what was going to happen in a few months?" He could feel the larger body tense, and winced, knowing that wasn't a good reaction.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"He's my brother, Crawler. He's kin, and he...he's the only one who deserves to know."

"It's not a wise idea, Adrian."

"He still deserves to know." Adrian sat up, putting his hands in his lap as he looked over at the beast beside him. "I trust him, and even if he doesn't join my side...he isn't going to say a word to anyone about it."

"Are you so sure? Think about it, Adrian. If he knows you are handing Albion on a silver platter over to me and the Darkness, if he knows how many people you are going to murder, the people you are supposed to be protecting...he will turn against you in a heartbeat." There was an almost depressed expression upon Adrian's features, green eyes casting downwards. He placed a hand on the shoulder. "We...suppose you could tell him. But, if he turns, be prepared to deal with him. Sometimes, as much as we hate it, we must cut off a hand to save the body...in this case, we must 'displace' Logan if he acts up, in order to save our plans."

"I guess so. I'll talk to him tomorrow, and...i-if he acts up, I will deal with him. I couldn't kill him, but I guess, if worse comes to worse, I can imprison him, say he went insane and tried to attack me or something."

"There we are, quick thinking. Well, we'll see what happens...but remember the phrase 'Hope for the best, but expect the worst'. Now...perhaps it'd be best for you to get some sleep, if you are to deal with this tomorrow." A somber nod was given, before Adrian returned to his previous position, snuggled up to the Crawler. "Goodnight, Adrian."

"Goodnight, Crawler." He whispered quietly, before finally drifting into sleep. No matter what was to come tomorrow, not a single bad dream would disturb his sleep while the leader of the Darkness was beside him...


	8. Chapter 8

Adrian was definitely sore, even with the health potion taken last night.

He had been in the study for most of the day now, planning out the kingdom's defenses, or so he said. He was more...distant from people than usual today, though nobody knew why. He didn't care to tell them, either. He simply sent for his brother, and after finishing the last of his preparations for the meeting to come, simply sat and waited. Clawed fingers carefully held a goblet filled with wine, blood-red lips sipping equally red liquid...and forest green eyes slowly moved from the crackling fire that burned in the fireplace, to the door as it was pushed open with a whining groan. "Good evening, brother."

"You wanted to see me, brother?" Logan looked a little better now. Not as worn and serious...he was still plagued by the anxiety of the darkness' arrival, and the stress of helping his younger sibling by taking care of the more...parchment-oriented tasks, also known as paperwork.

"Yes, I do. Please, close the door, lock it and come sit down. What I have to say is for your ears alone. Do you want a drink?" The expression on the older brother's face showed he realized this was serious, and did as was requested. The click of the lock echoed in the room, one of the few sounds within the enclosed space besides the crackling and popping of the fire, and the click of his boots along the wooden floor as he came forward, silently turning down the offer of alcohol with a small gesture. The chair's cushions moved to conform to his shape as he sat beside the king, looking over towards him. Adrian was quiet for a few passing moments, eying the contents of his glass as he thought about how to start. "I'm sure you, of all people, have noticed that my behavior has changed since the time I lived within these walls as a young, naive prince."

"I have. But I thought that it was the stress of everything...the rebellion, losing Walter, taking the throne, trying to protect Albion..." Even now, he sat in a very refined way. Back straight, arms resting upon either of the arm-rests...like a king in a throne. Old habits were hard to break. "Nobody blames you for changing. For maturing and trying to handle all that comes your way."

"I have been lying, Logan. I have been living a lie. I have been nothing more than a puppet on strings for those people," Adrian was suddenly alive with emotion, spitting out the word with anger, "for nothing more than what they wished." He closed his eyes, hunching forward. "I've been pretending nothing is wrong, pretending I am this land's savior...when I am truly anything but."

"W...What are you saying, Adrian?"

Another bout of silence lapsed between them, before he downed a mouthful of the wine. "Let me start from when the lying started...remember what I told you happened in Aurora? Where me and Walter split up, couldn't find him?" Logan nodded. "It was a bold-faced lie. We washed up on shore together...only way besides swimming was going through a cave. It gave off bad signals to begin with, but we kept going in..." He paused. "We met the Darkness."

It was as though someone had replaced the older sibling's blood with ice, the way he tensed and looked at him with wide eyes. "Well, you...you must've escaped, right? Did Walter fall behind and..."

"No. I did not escape...and I killed Walter." He was staring down at the floor, as if it was his worst enemy. "I was captured by the darkness for awhile...at first, I was there by force. I thought they were these vicious, malign, unfeeling beasts whose only interest was to take over Albion and kill off humanity...but...they had real, logical reasons, and they weren't as unfeeling as one would think." He was clearly avoiding looking at the person sitting nearby. "I could say they were more 'human' than the humans I'm usually surrounded by. The Crawler, especially."

"That wretched beast, feeling?...'human'? I think not!" Adrian winced as a gloved fist slammed against the arm of the chair. "That...monster killed my escort! It about killed -me-! I've seen and heard for myself its maniacal, taunting voice as it ripped those men apart. You dare tell me that thing is capable of feeling anything other than malice?"

"Yes, I do dare. I've experienced it for myself." He stood up, turning his back towards him as he walked to view the map of Albion, hanging upon the wall.

"Obviously, you're delusional. Perhaps dealing with it drove you mad, and the Aurorans couldn't heal you completely."

"I'm NOT delusional, brother! In fact, I've never been more sane in my life." Adrian whipped around, looking at the man, who's dark eyes were narrowed, the lips with the scar stretching over them twisted downwards in a scowl.

"So, then, how did you get away from them?"

"I...made a deal."

"What sort of deal?" He seemed to freeze, holding his stance like a statue before turning to look back towards the crackling fire housed in the fireplace. "Answer me, Adrian."

"I agreed to hand over Albion to the Darkness." He couldn't tell what the expression he was given was. It was then that Logan started laughing. Laughing...he pushed himself out of his chair, coming over and putting a hand on Adrian's shoulder.

"Sure you did. You know what, Adrian? I think the stress of the job must be getting to you. I'll see if a medic can come up and-" He was stopped in mid-sentence as one of the gloves was pulled off and a hand held up to eye-level.

"Logan, I...am not...mad." He showed the markings that wrapped around his hand, and then clenched the hand tightly. He found Logan was moving away in horror as the shade form briefly flickered over him before he was just as he was a few seconds ago. He pulled the glove back on. "I'm telling the truth. And I need you to listen to me."

"You...you're one of them. You -are- handing Albion over..."

"Yes, and yes."

"Why?"

"Because..." He started, and had to search for the right words before continuing on. "Since I've been removed from this castle, I have been exploited and paraded around as some savior. One who was willing to fight to take over the throne, to protect the people, to give them what they deserved, what they wanted. I wasn't given a choice in what I was to do." He sat back down in his chair, reaching for the cup to down the last of the wine within it. "I didn't want the throne. I didn't want to -save- Albion. I was not the Hero people demanded, someone to pull the strings of to get what they desired."

"I was ignored. I was forced to help people I'd rather watch burn...after awhile of residing among the Darkness, I realized that my points of views were shared, I was welcomed and...I felt like I belonged there. I don't care if the world is submerged in darkness."

"Think about what you're saying, Adrian." Logan tried to reason. "Think of all of the families that would be killed because of you. All the children, the sisters, the brothers, the mothers and fathers."

"I don't care." They were spoken in the coldest, most emotionally detached tone the ex-king had ever heard in his years of life. There was no care for the people of Albion, who hoped their ruler would protect them from the oncoming threat. They would be handed over like cattle going to the slaughter. It was sickening.

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

The pale-skinned man lifted his head, smiling weakly as he moved back over to him, placing his hands upon the other set of shoulders. "You're my brother, Logan. You're one of the few I care about, and one of the few I can fully trust. I saved you from the firing squad, and I...I want you to be by my side now, in these plans. I want you to support me...think of how much we could do, once Albion was taken over. Keeping order among what little is left, hushing rebellions...come now, wouldn't you want to help your little brother?"

A sigh left the older man, reaching up to run a hand through dark slick backed hair. "I do care about you, Adrian. That I couldn't be more sure of. But..." He stepped back, slipping free of the hands that rested upon his shoulders. "I will not have a part in this corruption. I have spent years trying to build up Albion's defenses, trying to protect its people from the evil to come. I will not simply hand them over. If you will not protect them, then I will."

"But they hate you."

"I don't care. But I know you are not fit for the throne, and if I have to pull it out from under you to make sure we stay safe, then so be it."

"So you're abandoning me." Adrian watched as he turned, heading towards the door. "And you're going to let all know that your brother is a psychopath bent on helping the Darkness take over. Well, I just have something to say about that. Turn around, so I may say it to your face." He had almost been expecting to see a gun in his hands as he turned around, but found he was unarmed, standing there.

The sound of a click was heard, and Logan caught something shining just above as it fell down. Out of instinct, he caught it...only to find it was a gun, which was caught in a way that it aimed straight at Adrian...and then, the faint flick was heard, as though it was possessed..."I'm sorry for what's about to happen, brother dearest."

The bang echoed through the room and out into the hallways, clear as day, slicing through the silence as though it was nothing. "Guards!" The purple-haired man called as he slumped down, dropping onto his knees as he gripped his shoulder. The slam of force against the door and wood snapping as they were ripped off of their hinges and forced to the floor followed, and Logan had just dropped the weapon out of shock by the time the armored guards came rushing in. "Arrest him!" An accusatory finger was pointed towards Logan, and the older brother found himself caught in the iron grip of multiple hands, being forcefully dragged away.

"You...you bastard!" He managed to spit at the king as he was pulled away...and for a brief second, he saw a glimmer of a smirk before he was forced out of the room.

"Sire, are you okay?" One of the remaining guards asked as the man stood up, clutching his shoulder.

"I'll live. I'll get some medical attention for it. Thank you for responding so quickly. I told you my brother was going mad...I didn't want to believe it at first, but..." He skillfully placed a sullen look on his features as he looked away. "Make sure he stays in the dungeon, no visitors. He'll be dealt with soon. Also, if you could, make sure Alluna finds someone to fix the doors for me, alright?" The guard nodded. "Alright, back to work. I'm off to get this dealt with." He started to walk away, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder and the blood that oozed out of it and onto his gloves.

It was always good to have a back-up plan. All the little gizmos involved with the execution of said plan would burn away, thanks to the enchantment placed upon them. Even the automatic trigger in the gun. That was the riskiest part right there, since Logan could've caught it in a way that might've given him a fatal shot. He wasn't sure if he could actually die or not, given his whole thing with the Darkness, but...he'd rather not chance it. Besides, it'd be rather hard to explain away.

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, knowing that Logan would mostly likely have to meet the fate of the others within his court. That any chance of him joining was gone now. But, he'd be safe. Logan wouldn't get visitors, the guards who'd deal with him would think he was mad if he tried to explain what he had been told, and he'd simply rot down there until it was time to deal with him.

He retreated to his room, drinking health potions, digging into the wound to pull out the bullet and wrapping cloth around it. The potion would take it over, have it healed and gone soon. He peeled off the gloves, cringing as he flicked the blood-coated one off to the side, and fell back onto his bed.

"Damn him." Somehow, he hadn't been expecting it to be successful. But he had hoped that it wouldn't have come down to this. He wished a certain cave-dweller was with him now, to offer some sort of comfort or advise or soothing words. But he was alone, and he probably would remain alone for the last few remaining months, unless he was lucky. He rolled over, gripping one of the pillows and pulling it close, hugging it with the arm without a bullet wound in its shoulder, and sighing.

"Dealing with the balverines can wait...I'm tired and in pain."

Eyes closed, and thoughts of the destruction that would come slowly crept in as dreams. Screaming filling the air along with the rumbling of fire and the rumbling as buildings broke apart...Children dancing through the streets, painting the streets with blood and scattering the bones of the dead...

A soft smile, happy and joyful despite the nightmarish visions, graced his features as he settled down, hoping the shoulder would be healed by the time he awoke.


	9. Chapter 9

Long did the remaining time seem to last, hanging in the air like a cloud of tension and anticipation that never dissipated. Logan was kept locked within the bowels of the castles, occasionally being visited by his brother,though he never appreciated the visits, since -he- was the one that locked him in there to begin with. Nobody else really cared, choosing to believe Adrian...everyone didn't hold the older sibling in high regards to begin with, so it was very easy for them to let him rot without question of why he was in there.

But it was finally the day. The day it all ends.

Everyone was gathered around the strategy table. "It's here." Ben said, lifting his eyes up from the map to the king. "The darkness has reached Bowerstone."

He could feel it in the air like static electricity. The energy of the 'enemy' that knocked at the kingdom's door. It made everyone as stiff as boards, and alert as feral animals trapped in cages. "The attack has barely begun, but already we have suffered terrible casualties." Alluna stated. "We simply weren't ready." No, it wasn't a matter of readiness. It was a matter of finances. Adrian had made sure to leave little in the treasury to allow them a defense. He wouldn't want any more Children harmed than necessary. "If we don't act quickly, there may not be a kingdom left to defend by dawn."

"We have to get out on the streets, now." Ben added, and they all did their little pep statements before they were heading out, the Hero and his faithful canine companion tagging along behind them.

Benn and Alluna were both with him as they entered Bowerstone Square. The sky was a gloomy olive-green, black shadowy tar defied gravity as it rested on the ground in pools. Fire crackled, bodies burned...the smell of burning flesh and the metallic tinge of blood lurked in the air. Hills of sand were spread, the heavy thud of the Children's 'bodies', those large metal bird-like automatons, echoed through the air.

And that was when the children appeared, grabbing hold of Ben and Alluna, forcing them down to their knees. "Adrian, do something!"

"No." Their shock made him smirk as he stepped away from them, holstering the gun. He turned to look at them, not caring of the shape that faded behind him. the two humans tried to say something, but stopped as they saw the looming leader of the darkness in his full ghastliness. Blood flowed from his mouth, splattered across his face and coated his fingers. "Hello, my dear. Having fun?" Adrian asked, peering over his shoulder to the larger being, who smirked as he coiled an arm around him, pressing jagged teeth against the snowy neck, smearing red against it as he gave a brief purr.

"Of course." He laughed lowly as he pulled back. "Should we bring the rest of your little 'friends' here to mark the occasion?" With a nod and a flick of the Crawler's wrist, more Children appeared with captives in hand, forcing them down to their knees to join Alluna and Ben. Paige, Sabine, Kalin, Logan, all were there. Mephisto could be heard whimpering as he kept low to the ground beside the hero.

"Welcome, my friends, and my dearest brother...today is the day! The one we have all been looking forward to. Too bad we had such different plans on what would occur today. You all thought that we'd defend the kingdom, fight the darkness away, protect everyone...but I had much different plans. Only my brother knew, and nobody cared enough to ask him." Toxic green eyes glanced over to the man, who scowled deeply, eyes burning with a hatred that made sadness briefly flicker in the king before he looked away towards everyone else.

"When I was in Aurora, I -was- with Walter. We traversed the depths of Shadelight, and encountered the Crawler and his children...I shot and killed Walter, and ended up a 'house-guest' of these big scary beast behind me. But I eventually came to the decision to hand Albion over to him. It is of no use to me...I never wanted the crown, the throne...never wanted to be the Savior everyone tried to force me to be." He twisted around, coiling his arms around the slender neck of the Crawler. "The Crawler gave me a chance to pursue what I truly wanted...and gave me what I truly needed." A gloved hand captured the side of the other's face, pulling the head close to place a kiss on a bony cheek. "I had to wait a year, I had to act on a constant basis...and I believe I did that magnificently."

"You bastard! You've given up everything to that-that thing!" Paige snapped. The border collie barked at her in return, still choosing to be faithful to his master despite what he did.

"The world can fall apart, the human race can be vaporized in one giant fireball, and I will still not give a damn." He turned, his hand moving instead to grip one of the long fingered hands. "I stand here now, looking to you now and offering you a choice. You may live, and stand beside me...or you may die, and be changed into the very creatures who hold you now. I do not hold hope for many of you, but...I extend the offer the same."

"Go to hell." The dark-skinned woman spat.

"I'd sooner die than live knowing this world is in chaos because of you." Ben stated.

"Though either decision is unpleasant, I would sooner be a husk." Kalin stated calmly. Sabine went off rambling, and Adrian muttered something about 'A no being sufficient'.

The brunette adviser looked to everyone, swallowing thickly before she craned her head to gaze up at the king. "I wish to remain alive and continue serving you, your majesty." She could feel dagger-throwing glares aimed at her, which she thoroughly avoided.

"I always thought you might see the right decision when the time came, Alluna." Adrian smiled, and turned to Logan. "You, dear brother, do not get a choice. I have something very..._special_ in mind for you." He glanced back towards his significant other. "Shall I give the order?" A nod was all he needed, and the crimson lips remained in their smirk as he glanced towards the Children. "Execute all but Alluna and Logan, and prepare them for the change."

The warblings cries of the beaked suits of armor were heard as they appeared and stepped closer. Kalin and Sabine were first, the metallic slide of metal heard as the curved blades arming the suits' upper limbs were extended. The two were faced away from the mechanism, the crack of blood and the sound of blood hitting stone were heard as the blades impaled them through their chests. Ben and Paige met a similar fate in the 'hands' of another of the Dark Minions. The children eagerly moved around them, clawed hands tearing at their torsos and tearing out these glowing orbs that faded into existence with enough digging.

Alluna was pale as she looked up at them, trembling and looking close to purging at the mere sight. Logan stared up at them, before slowly turning his head as he was dragged back up to his feet, Adrian mere inches from him. "I still want you by my side, Logan. A mere shade won't be able to replace you. But...I think I know a way to fix that. My darker side whispered it to me in a dream." He removed his gloves, curling one of his hands against his sibling's neck. Black took over his milky white skin, the crimson claws digging into his brother's pale flesh, making him grit his teeth and instinctually tilted his head upwards. Sharpened fangs replaced his younger sibling's teeth, which bit into the other hand. Dark red, almost blackened blood began to ooze from it...and his other hand moved to pry the man's mouth open to force the life-blood into his mouth.

Muffled complaints were heard as he struggled to get free of the shades that held him, whipping his head from side to side until another one of the dark figures held his head still. Adrian wouldn't let him spit it out, wouldn't let him do anything but swallow it. "Drink, my brother...drink..." He whispered darkly, watching as the body weakened and soon the Children just let go of him, watching as he crumpled to the ground. His body was hit with seizures, tensing and spasming in ways that looked painful, bloodcurdling sounds escaping him. Mephisto crawled so he was behind the purple-haired man, barking in alarm as he would inch closer to Logan only to jump back. Once blue veins just barely visible underneath the skin were now clear as day and black, standing out against his skin. It eventually slowed and halted, leaving the man a twitching wreck on the ground, blackened hair ragged and gasps of air being pulled into oxygen-starved lungs.

"How do you feel?" Adrian asked, leaning over him.

"...Horrible." His voice was lacking the malice it had just moments before, and dark eyes slowly opened to stare up towards his younger sibling. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything but make you understand." Logan was a puppet...one that could think and feel and behave on his own, but a puppet nonetheless though. "The darkness isn't so bad, is it, Logan?" The older person shook his head, though looked exhausted and still recovering from the pain. The one lurking above extended a hand in offering, and it was taken. He dragged him up to his feet, smiling up at him. "I told you. One simply has to have an...open mind." He waved the Children off who held Alluna, letting her free. She stood up, still looking nauseous, and tried to avoid looking at the corpses that the Dark Minions had knocked off of their blades.

"What..urg...what do we do now, my lord...um...lords?" She kept her head low, looking between Adrian and the Crawler.

"Now?" The Crawler asked as he looked at her, before turning his gaze up towards the tops of buildings, watching as plumes of dark smoke curled up into the sky, and Children climbed along the buildings as they searched through to make sure they had left -some- people alive. "Now we watch the darkness spread, and celebrate."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The Balverines were happy. The Children were happy also. The two groups were often seen either feasting upon the corpses that decorated the streets or playing amusing little games with one another the week after everything was taken over. It was a morbidly adorable sight to the former King of Albion. Well, he supposed he -could- still be called a king, though Albion was now in ruins.

"So you actually made a deal to get these balverines?" The Crawler asked, the faint steps of his spikes heard as they dug into the dirt and stone paths of the courtyard.

"Mm-hmm. I've always had a fascination with balverines, and if I could get them to add a little more...muscle to our ranks, then it seemed like a good deal." Adrian was already in the center of gnarled trees and bushes, currently sitting on a bench with one of the large wolf-like beasts sitting at his feet that hummed in approval as his claws fingers raked through its tough fur. "For what I had to give in return, a little sacrifice every century...doesn't seem that bad." Mephisto was curled up against the humanoid wolf being, head placed on one of its arms.

"How are you faring?" A shuffle of robes were heard as he moved to sit down beside the purple-haired man. Weight was soon felt upon his shoulder, and he looked down to see his companion contently leaning against him.

"I'm fine. It's strange, to wander through the castle without worry of 'royal agendas', hearing people whine and complain and all of that mess. It's actually very peaceful." He grinned softly, snaking an arm to coil around the other's arm, hugging it close. "It's just a shock, I guess, of not having so many people around. And the silence...it's almost like we've frozen time. Not a bird sings or bee buzzes, or trees sway...will it always be that way?"

The spiky head moved from side to side in a slow shake. "No. Everything will start again soon. The world is in its own state of shock. But, we have not slaughtered the animals or silenced the weather. We will say perhaps within a few days, the gears of natural order shall start turning again. A week, at most."

Adrian gave a small nod, and gazed off absently, slowing in his petting of the balverine, which made it whine and nudge his hand."Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart." He spoke quietly, resuming what he was doing, and glance back up towards the Crawler. "I have a question, Crawler, and please humor me." He had his undivided attention now. "Is it possible for one such as you to reproduce with someone who is not a void monster?"

He was stunned into silence for awhile, the large mouth opening and closing in an attempt to find words to speak. "Do we sense an ulterior motive for such a question?"

"Hmm hmm...well, I was merely curious if it was plausible, for some point in the future. Right now, I'm content to have just you, Alluna, the Children and our pack of balverines to keep me busy. The Children themselves will be enough like kids running about the castle."

"Well...it is possible. When the time comes, we will tell you in greater detail."

"Okay." Adrian cooed, stopping what he did to the balverine and pulled his significant other closer, kissing underneath the edge of his jaw. "I suppose that's a good enough answer for now." He glanced around against, nuzzling the underside of the jaw. "How long do you think it'll take the human race to build up again?"

"Years, upon years...possibly centuries or more before they can grow their populations again. We left enough for them to breed and grow again...but we'll keep them in check this time."

There was a few minutes of silence before Adrian announced. "That is a long time."

"Yes, it is. But, it'll pass by in the blink of an eye, we'll guarantee."

"I have a request...a 'project', if you will." Black eyes gazed down at him curiously. "I was digging through some of the things in the Reliquary, and stumbled across something...my father had a section filled with books and tomes from my family, old writings from the Heroes in my blood-line."

"And...?"

"And I found something interesting. After doing a little research...well, I'm not sure if it exists still, but I think it's worth a try." He leaned away, thinking for a moment. "Do you know of a place called the 'Archon's Folly' in the Northern Wastes?" A small nod was his response. "It has grown old, parts of it have collapsed and the lava within it has long since cooled...there are no seals or spells to bar one's entry. Supposedly...one of my ancestors destroyed what has gotten my curiosity...but I still wish to look."

"What is it you hope to find?"

"I don't know. Perhaps I'll find something, perhaps nothing, what it is I would find, I'm yet to be sure. But...might I start planning something along the lines of an archeological excavation of aforementioned location?"

"We suppose. It's not like there's all that much for you to do here."

"Oh, but you're coming with me." Those ebony eyes grew wide.

"B-But it's freezing up in the Northern Wastes, and you know how we detest the cold-" His whining was cut off short by a look given by the human.

"I don't care, Mr. Leader of the Darkness, you are coming with me."

"We...wait, who'll be left in charge?" Oh, he was trying to get out of this any way possible, even through something so legitimate as 'Who's going to deal with things while we're gone?'. But, it wouldn't work, of course.

"Logan can take over. He's a puppet on strings anyways." He found it amusing that he'd be placing a puppet on the throne to replace one who practically was a puppet for those now deceased...

"What about your adviser?"

"I'll let her decide what she wants to do, maybe give something to make sure she doesn't kick the bucket anytime soon. Now, come on, we have things to plan." He stood up, careful to avoid stepping on the balverine as he dragged the Crawler up to his feet and began dragging him off. The creature still spat excuses and other attempts to get out of the venture with little avail. Adrian paid him no heed, instead looking over his shoulder. "Come along, Lycus and Mephisto." The silver and black colored balverine stretched out before managing up onto its feet and following, the steel bracer around his wrist shimmering faintly as he ducked down, squeezing through the doorway with the border collie trotting along behind him. "We've got work to do."


	10. The End?

The years really did pass by as quick as the Crawler said they would. And, just as he had said, mother nature soon recovered from her shock and went on as she had done prior to the thinning out of the human race. Wildlife crept out of hiding, rain and wind and all of the other weather returned, and the gloomy olive green color mostly faded from the sky. It still lingered just enough to remove the harmful portion of the sun's rays, to allow the Crawler and his Children to wander freely during the diurnal hours.

Just as Adrian wanted, they had moved up to the Northern Wastes, leaving Logan to rule over the remains of Bowerstone and keep it all in check, which wasn't a very hard job. Alluna chose to come with them, and was given something to slow the aging process significantly as well as keep her away from Death's door until Adrian no longer wanted her by his side. The years that followed were difficult to grow accustomed to, setting up in the freezing tundra away from the warmth that they were so used to. The balverines were most at home out of all of them, and the Children never seemed to care about the temperature. The Crawler, however, took to it the worst, especially given he hadn't anything to protect him from the bitter cold other than his pathetically thin robe. It wasn't until, between the balverines and Adrian, they had fashioned the cave-dweller a coat of animal fur that he ceased his constant complaints. He still did like to whine about the cold on occasion, just to annoy his human counterpart.

Mephisto passed away after several years of the excavation work, peacefully and from nothing but old age. He had a grave-site off a ways from the old ruins. The balverines lived and died, breeding and keeping their numbers strong. They were wonderful companions, though, and surprisingly good workers. The shades were always kept busy with the work they were given, though they would often take a break here or there to tackle one of the wolf-creatures and initiate a rough playing session.

A century passed, all of their work plagued by the occasional need for more equipment, Adrian's need to hold up to his end of the bargain when it came time, weather problems and all of those other delay-inducing things life liked to throw at you...

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Why is it always so cold?" Green eyes glanced over at the ancient beast beside him, who was currently bundled in his coat.

"Because it's not called the 'Northern Wastes' for being sunny and humid." Adrian retorted, smirking, dressed in a mixture of his normal gear and the dweller clothing he had in the Sanctuary. He hadn't aged a day, still with the same amount of youth he had so long ago. But age touched the eyes, the venomous green glowing with knowledge and years that hadn't touched the rest of his body. "You've coped better than I thought you would, though."

"That's only because of this coat." The Crawler nudged his head towards the long coat that adorned his figure. "How much longer do you think we should put into this 'project' of yours? There isn't much left of the lava rock to dig through, and...we think you should start considering the fact there's nothing there."

"But there -is- something. Can you not feel the electricity in the air, the power?" He asked as he stood upon the center ledge.

"We believe that is residual. Whatever was here before was powerful...and ancient. Perhaps as old as us, if not older..." The Crawler peered around the large space, gazing at the afternoon sky above them, that was slowly starting to fade to dusk. "But whatever was, no longer is...unless they find it soon, we think it is time to cut our losses and leave."

"Are you sure this isn't you trying to be sneaky about having issues with the cold?" Adrian mused, grinning at the creature, before the smile seemed to lessen as a hand was placed on his shoulder, silently telling him he was being serious. "Just...just a few more days, please? If we don't find anything anything in that time, then...then we can go home."

"Alright. We will give you one more week to sate your curiosity. But if nothing is found, we go home." The human nodded, and gave a weak grin as the sharpened teeth were pressed against his forehead in a 'kiss'. "We have to tolerate alot from you, you know that ,right?"

"Heh, but you know you love it. Gives you something to do. At least you're not stuck in a cave doing the same day-to-day routine, right?" Arms wound around the neck, placing a kiss against the other's chin. "Why don't you go warm up out at the campsite? I'm going to stay here for a little while longer."

"Alright. Don't stay too long, though." The Crawler faded away, disappearing to eagerly get back to their campsite, which held promise of warmth and shelter from the bitter cold that gripped their surroundings. Adrian stayed, overlooking the Children and Balverines as they dug through the blackened rock, moving the loosened material down and out of the place.

Hours spanned to days, with nothing to show for it besides Children who would quietly whimper their complaints when they came to curl up with him after working for most of the day, and Balverines who were cranky and would nip at each other, though were too sore to full-on fight. On the sixth day, the final night he would get before they would leave, Adrian sat upon the carved out bed of what was once magma. He placed gloved hands against the stone, the freezing temperature of the rock bleeding through his gloves slowly but surely. Small pulses of magic were sent through the material, out into the dark volcanic substance. Reaching through like waves of sound, searching for abnormalities. "Perhaps the Crawler is right...perhaps whatever it was that was here really was destroyed all those years ago. Perhaps I am just chasing silly possibilities, instead of going with the facts of things. The chances that I find something in here is..." He sighed, watching the cloud of exhaled air drift away in the biting breeze. "Is..is little to none." He finished, resting on his knees.

It was discouraging to waste so much time on such a fruitless endeavor. To not see a glimpse of what he searched for. Perhaps it really was consumed by the lava his ancestor threw it into, perhaps it had been melted away in a flash of light, to leave not a fragment or sliver left of its existence. "Why would it be so easy to destroy? It doesn't seem right." For something that survived for as long as legends said, one would think it'd be indestructible.

"I'm just being silly, I guess. Oh, I'm not going to hear the end of this from Crawler." A hand slid down the side of his face in slight exasperation, his other hand still sending out pulses of magic to course through the stone absently. He almost didn't notice when something pinged back. Fingers parted so both eyes could look down at the stone, silently following the trail as it rolled through, and his eyes settled upon the spot it bounced off of. "Could it be...? I'm not just going crazy, am I?" He was slowly becoming giddy as he crawled closer, until his hand was hovering directly over it. It wasn't too far down from the surface, and was trapped in a...a bubble, like a shield had been erected when the magma still flowed to keep what lied within safe. Perhaps it was just a bubble that had been there when it cooled, but...he didn't think so, and his hopes were once again raised. "Children!" He said after removing a glove long enough to mark an 'X' over it before he scurried off to get some help to get the thing dug up. "Crawler, Alluna, wake your asses up!"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"This is awfully late, Adrian. The Children aren't too pleased with this."

The statement came from a very tired Crawler, who crossed his arms against his chest, eyes opened groggily. "We're not too pleased with it either...we were sleeping."

"Me too." Alluna murmured, bundled in her blue and black winter gear, running a hand through her brunette hair, which was beginning to be streaked with silver from stress more than from age.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I really think I found something. Just bear with me, alright?" Adrian pleaded to the both of them, placing a hand to rest on their shoulders. The shades dug at the marked stone, the large man-wolves pulling away the debris and aiding when they could. It seemed to take longer than it actually did, anticipation making minutes drag on like hours. Each click of the stone being struck heard, the scrape of it being moved off into piles following soon after. Alluna was practically asleep, having moved to lean against the Crawler, who was now a mobile pillow it seemed. The cave-dweller seemed to be snoozing on his feet, eyes closed and only slow, faint puffs of breath exiting him. Adrian would just spare a nervous glance towards them on occasion, making sure neither of them fell over or something.

He was almost ready to lose hope when a cry came from the shades, chirping and warbling as they excitedly looked up towards the man. It was enough to make the Crawler jerk awake, and Alluna practically fell over as she came back to the land of the awake. "Who, what? W-What did they find?" She sleepily inquired, pushing off of the beast to look around and see what was going on. Adrian hurriedly moved away from them and towards the hole that was made. "What is it? Something important?" The female continued to ask.

"I would say it's something important." Adrian said as he dropped to his knees to reach down to grab what lied within. "Something old and what my ancestor thought they destroyed, but didn't." He brushed it off, watching as the Children that crowded around him back away a little upon seeing what it was. He returned to them, and soon held it out. A mask of white, with ornate markings adorning it. It made the Crawler take half a step back from uneasiness, serrated mouth twisting in a frown as the many sets of eyes were locked upon the mask. "We thought he was obliterated." The Crawler spoke quietly, inching forward to examine it closely, looking as though he thought the mask would bite him at any moment.

"Is that...?" Alluna began as she gazed at it, responding with fascination instead. "I thought it was nothing more than a legend, a myth..."

"Yes. It's real. The mask of Jack of Blades." Adrian said quietly, fingertips brushing over the cool material of the mask, relishing the swelling feeling of triumph. "This is what I was looking for."

"What do you plan to do with it?" The void monster asked, not sure what to feel about the artifact right now, still treating it as though it could do something terribly nasty within a second if he turned his back to it.

"Mm...I'm feeling particularly chaotic, my dear." Adrian smirked, eyes narrowing as he glanced up towards the creature and the woman. "Let's bring the Boogeyman back from the dead."


End file.
